Ironies of Life
by CrAzY-SiLLy-Me
Summary: SasuSaku It hurts to know when she thinks you're joking when you confess. But then, love hurts right? And despite that fact, you still manage to smile for her, and that's the irony of it. AUOOC
1. Accidentally Kissed

_A/N: I'm back with a new AU fic! Yakuza II will be on hiatus for a while. _

_**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the original characters. The songs belong to their respective singers/creators, the Naruto characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto**_

* * *

**Ironies of Life**

She stared at the picture, reminiscing her high school years. She sighed and leaned back, still holding onto the picture of the ace basketball player of Konoha High, Uchiha Sasuke, all in his black and silver-grayish jersey with a white shirt underneath it as he had a look of determination in winning the game.

"Hey, Sakura!"

Sakura looked up from the photo to greet her companion who gave her a light kiss on the forehead, looking down at the item she held on to. "Is that him?" he asked while she nodded, a smile forming on her lips. "Well, just a few more minutes and you'll be seeing him leave the plane that will land." he said, grinning. Sakura giggled and turned to the big window where it showed the blue sky and some planes landing. "I miss him..." she whispered, not catching the smile her male companion had as he held her hand in his own. "I'm sure he misses you too. In the meantime, can you tell me again about your life when you were still in high school?"

The pink-haired girl gave a nod and averted her gaze back at the sky. "It all started when Hinata told us who her crush was, Uzumaki Naruto, her husband now, it was the start of my turning point... the start of a cherry blossom blooming..."

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Accidentally Kissed**_

She sighed and closed her locker door shut, remembering how her friend told them who her crush was. _"Hinata likes Naruto too, huh?" _she walked down the hallway, not seeming to take note of her best friend's, Ino, call and warning. She was so deep in thought that it took Ino a while to get the girl's attention. "Sakura, snap out of it before you hit the wall!" Blinking, she looked up, her face inches away from the flat surface as she laughed nervously and thanked Ino for the right timing.

Ino shook her head at this. She knew that her friend was having a hard time deciding whether she would give up on Naruto and stay friends with Hinata or if she would fight for her love. This was such a challenge to their friendship, and if worse comes to worse, she would have to pick either of them. "Come on, I'm gonna be late for cheer practice while you still have to head for the gym."

With a nod, they both walked towards the stairway, Ino rambling about a few things as Sakura still had her head down and deep in thought. _"What should I do? Our friendship matters to me more than love, but…" _she sighed, and when she kept walking down the stairs, she failed to notice a small puddle of spilled water on one step, which she unfortunately slipped on, causing her to fall down, face first. She shut her eyes, expecting the solid, cemented ground to meet her face, but instead, felt someone's lips catch her fall.

"_What the-!" _she thought, quickly opening her eyes, having them staring into deep pools of ebony, and there was only one person whom she knew who had those eyes that gave off an impression to her, an impression of being watched whenever she was in the gym. Those eyes, and the lips that caught her, belonged to none other than her crush's best friend, team captain of the basketball team, Uchiha Sasuke.

He stared back at her with wide onyx eyes, shocked obviously. Even she was surprised at the incident, and to make matters worst, she heard a very familiar chuckle, a laughter that she always dreamed she would be the cause of; yet now that it somehow came true, she wished that it didn't. "Teme!" and that voice just really made her wish she disappeared. "I can't believe you couldn't evade that when you can practically pass any best defense players in basketball!"

Sakura quickly got up, a blush on her face as she turned her head away, her eyes shut as tears were threatening to fall. Sasuke noticed this. He got up, pocketed his hands and sighed. "Haruno," he spoke, she stiffened, and he would be stupid enough to not see this. "Be careful next time," he whispered. "If I wasn't there to… break your fall, you would've gotten seriously hurt." He said and walked pass her, his friends looking at him in bewilderment as he reached the top of the stairs and stopped. "You do know that Sarutobi-sensei still needs to have a word with us, guys." And he continued making his way to the principal's office.

Ino raised a delicate brow and turned to Naruto and his gang, minus Sasuke. "You had another gang fight?" Naruto grinned and folded his arms behind his head. "Yup. Against Sound High, and we won. Unfortunately, Kiba broke an arm." Ino looked at his gang and noticed the other loud and annoying male's absence. "And Lee?"

"Gai-sensei bailed him out." Neji explained. He then climbed the stairs as well, Naruto tailing behind and Shikamaru and Shino followed suit. "A-Aburame-san…" Shino stopped and turned to Sakura who now had her head raised and looking at him. She bowed down a bit, confusing the shades-wearing boy. "Please tell Uchiha-san my apologies." And she left, Ino calling and running after her. Shino turned to the three guys who raised their eyebrows at him. He shrugged and they continued heading towards Sarutobi's office.

* * *

"And furthermore, having a fight with other schools is not a very good idea or impression!" Sarutobi lectured, slamming both hands on his desk as Naruto just yawned, Shikamaru slept, Neji nodding, Shino sighing and Sasuke looking down, his mind drifting back to the incident earlier. _"Haruno Sakura…" _he thought. _"Sort of clumsy, always cheery…" _his brows knitted. _"Yet has a warm heart. She's not exactly a fan girl… but rather…" _a small smile managed its way on his lips. _"A supporting team manager; she's not that popular but she has both beauty and brains." _A frown reached his face as he thought some more. _"How come I only noticed all these now? Was it… because of the kiss..?" _

"And as for you, Uchiha,"

Sasuke looked up, snapping from his thoughts and noticed that his pals were no longer in the office. Sarutobi sat back down and massaged his temples. "Please, don't let me give you detention with Ibiki, don't let me suspend you. That will be a waste for your family. The Uchihas don't have a single record of being late, suspended or given detention."

"Look, I had to fight; otherwise, we wouldn't have made it out alive!"

"Sasuke, I have no choice but to call your father regarding this matter, this has been the fifteenth time you've been in a gang fight. I'll have to inform your father about it just so that I won't have to give you suspension or detention."

"But sir," he noted the final look Sarutobi gave him and he sighed. "I understand."

Sarutobi looked up at him before pressing the final number on his phone. He noted the distant look the boy had as he hung his head a bit low. With a soft sigh, he hung up and smiled at the boy. "Tell you what," Sasuke looked up at him with slightly widened eyes. "How about you give me a VIP pass on your next race? Kakashi has been boasting about your skills and himself always being a special guest there, do you think you could give me an ID?"

A small smile formed on the teen's lips as he gave a nod. "I will, thank you sir." Sarutobi dismissed him as Sasuke went towards the door after giving a respectful bow to the principal. When he left, Sarutobi shook his head and sighed heavily. _"This boy, he has talents, smarts, everything. It's such a waste for him to be hanging around Naruto, it only pulls him back." _He checked Sasuke's profile and sighed. "Uchiha Sasuke…"

* * *

"Crap, I'm late!" Sasuke said, running down the stairs and heading towards the boys' locker room to change into his basketball jersey. "Coach is going to blow a fuse when I get there." He muttered, putting on his white shirt and starting to remove his pants. He took out his black shorts and jersey and put it all on, afterwards, ran outside the locker room and quickly headed towards the gym. When he opened the doors, his face was greeted by a basketball that caused him to fall back, blood gushing out of his nose at the process. 

The coach blew on his whistle. "Okay, time-out! What kind of pass was that Morino? You even hit someone!" they all turned to see who the victim was, and soon, most of the players' faces turned pale. "C-Captain..?" one squeaked, clearing his throat when most of the guys raised a brow at his girlish voice.

Sasuke cursed and sat up, one hand holding onto the bridge of his nose as he glared at Morino Idate who froze and laughed nervously. "Um… sorry?" and the next thing he knew, the same ball that hit Sasuke was thrown at his face.

Zabuza had to suppress the smirk that was trying to appear on his lips when he saw Idate fall from the impact. _"Honestly, I'm glad Uchiha replaced Lee in the position of team captain. The players tend to not listen to Lee at all." _He glanced at Sasuke who got up and dusted himself, afterwards, turned to Idate with a smirk. "Apology accepted." Yup, he was really glad Sasuke replaced Lee. "Okay Uchiha, please explain us why you're tardy."

"Principal's office." He muttered, walking inside and putting on a black wrist band on his right wrist. "You can ask the dead-last for further information." Naruto gave a dirty finger to Sasuke who ignored it and started doing some stretches. Zabuza nodded at this and blew on his whistle again. "Okay guys, get back to practice!"

Sasuke stood up from his bent position and stretched his arms. For some strange reason, he felt like glancing to his left, only to have eye contact with the team manager, Haruno Sakura. When her green orbs clashed with his onyx ones, he recalled what happened earlier, and instantly, he blushed and looked away, frowning at the sudden feeling he had. _"What the hell was that?" _he thought, trying to clear his mind and delete the image of him and Sakura kissing.

On the other hand, Sakura blinked and wondered why her cheeks were warm when Sasuke had spared her a glance. She had been staring at him since he arrived, and just when his gaze met hers, she felt her insides turn to jelly, and how she found herself drawn into his obsidian eyes. _"Why was I even staring at him?" _she thought, averting her gaze elsewhere as it landed on Naruto. She watched in awe when he managed to dunk a ball and started laughing at the guy he just passed. She smiled a bit as her face turned red once more. _"Wow, he's good…"_

"Shino!"

She turned to where the voice came from, seeing Sasuke raise his right hand to signal Shino who quickly passed the ball to him. Once he got it, he stopped running when the player guarding him was gaining speed to catch up to him, cursing when the team captain abruptly stopped and shot the ball towards the ring, making a perfect three point shot. _"Whoa…" _she thought, her mind going wild upon seeing his form, his perfect timing, his eyes full of concentration, his bangs that urged her to brush off of his face, his lips-

"What the hell?" she hissed, turning red when she thought of all of those things about Sasuke. Her heart started beating fast and she slowly placed a hand on her hot cheeks, eyes dilating whenever the accidental kiss earlier flashed through her head. _"I… I can't stop thinking about it!" _

"Sakura?" She looked up to see Hinata give her a worried look, a pencil in hand as the other lay on top of the desk where her own record notebook lay. "W-what is it Hinata?" she asked, forcing her blush down as she gave a smile to her friend and assistant. "Are you feeling alright? Your face is so red and you haven't been taking notes of the team's plays."

"I-I haven't?" she asked, looking down at her own notebook, where the date for the day was written, and below it were the players' names. Other than that, nothing was written below the rebound, shots, passes, assists, fouls etc. It was all blank. Her eyes landed on the first name, and again, she blushed when the image of her and Sasuke kissing appeared in her mind. _"Damn it! What is wrong with me?" _

Zabuza approached the two, seeing how their attention was elsewhere and not on the practice game. "Haruno, Hyuuga, what seems to be the problem?" he asked, worried about their condition. It was weird whenever Sakura wasn't concentrating on her job, especially since she loved the sport so much. And to see Hinata not watching Naruto might as well cause hell to freeze over. Hinata turned to Zabuza and shook her head. "I just thought that Sakura wasn't feeling okay because she wasn't taking down notes, but don't worry, I took down some."

"I see, that's good." He turned to Sakura. "Are you sure you're alright?" Sakura gave a nod and a reassuring smile. "I just had something in mind, that's all." She said, picking up her dropped pencil and preparing to write something down. "Okay, tell me if you're not well okay?"

"Yes I will sensei."

The coach went back to refereeing the game, his whistle in his mouth so that he can blow anytime he sees a foul.

"Naruto is getting better." Hinata commented out of the blue, a small blush on her cheeks as Sakura spared her a glance and forced a smile. She turned back to the game and watched, her eyes looking downcast as she slowly lowered her head, still unsure of what to do now that Hinata has told them who her crush was. "Hey, Hinata?" the female Hyuuga of the school turned to her friend with a sweet smile. "Yes Sakura?" she watched her pink-haired friend try to find the right words to say, turning to face her. "I just wanted to tell you that I have a-"

"Heads up!"

Sakura and Hinata faced in front, only to see an orange ball heading their way, most specifically, Sakura's. "Get out of there you two!" Idate yelled but they only shut their eyes as they raised their arms up for defense.

_Slam!_

Slowly opening their eyes, the two girls looked up to see Naruto standing in front of their desk with his back facing them. Hinata blushed and looked down when the blonde turned to face them. Sakura managed to keep her cool but failed to stop the blush from appearing on her cheeks. Being dense, Naruto just thought that they were recovering from the shock. He turned to Hinata who turned a deeper shade of red and caused him to smile inwardly. _"Cute." _

"T-thank you, N-Naruto-san…"

"Don't mention it." He then faced Sakura who lowered her head slightly, as if bowing in gratitude. Naruto's brow creased a bit. "I can't exactly tell you to be careful, because it isn't your fault, but you should be alert." He looked at her notebook, his brows narrowed all the more. "And you haven't written a single thing! You didn't record Shikamaru's awesome assists and passes, Shino's steals and straight three-point shots, Idate's new move, my first three point shot since I started playing this year, and even Sasuke's abrupt-"

"I'm sorry, Naru-"

"Hang on," Naruto cut her off. "Last time I checked, we're not on first name basis. I do believe that we last talked about a year ago, and I don't count that as a friendly chat! It was more of a message delivered to you by me from a teach-"

"Alright Naruto, shut it and get back to the game." The blonde turned to his best friend who stopped him from finishing his sentence. He narrowed his blue eyes at him a bit. "I wasn't done talking Sasuke, as the gang's leader you shouldn't interrupt."

Sasuke remained calm and kept approaching them, his eyes having a stern look. "And as your team captain, I order and request you to go back to practice. You may be my leader in _your_ gang," he emphasized. "But when you're wearing that jersey and inside the gym, or anything that has something to do with basketball, _I'm_ your _superior_. And I say go back to the game."

With one last look at Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto went back to the others, leaving the two girls and Sasuke behind, unaware that the whole team have exhaled in relief, for fear of having to stop another brutal fight. "Same goes to the rest of you, get back in the game." Sasuke ordered as the team moved. He turned back to the two girls. "You two okay?" Hinata gave a nod but Sakura still had her head down, her face still red, whether from embarrassment or something else. "Hinata, take over for a while, I need to have a few words with Haruno."

"Okay."

He looked at Sakura who raised her head to give him a questioning look. Sasuke used his head to gesture her outside as he began walking towards the door, Sakura running after him.

She stopped when he went inside the locker room and come back out carrying his sport's bag, along with his back pack. "Uchiha-san, why did you-" she stopped when he placed a finger on his lips, indicating her to keep quiet for a while. Next, he led the way outside school as she continued to follow. "Where's your bag?" he asked. "I left it in my locker," she said. "We don't have any homework or tests tomorrow."

"Hn."

"Uchi-"

"What's wrong with you?"

"H-huh?"

He stopped at an outdoor court near the park and placed his things down on the cemented ground, taking out his own basketball from his sport's bag and began dribbling it, his back turned to her as she stared at him. "What's wrong with you?" he repeated. "I mean, I know that you like Naruto ever since but, why do you allow him to just tell you off like that? Last time I heard, you don't let anybody do that."

She remained silent, not knowing what to answer. She felt really uncomfortable being alone with him, much less talk to him. "Haruno," She looked back up. "Don't keep your hopes up on him, otherwise, you may end up crying." And he began to run towards the basket and did a lay-up shot. "What do you mean?"

"Just… don't think too positively about your feelings with Naruto." He picked up the ball, stared at it for a while before turning his head to face Sakura. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked, avoiding his gaze. "I'm just sick and tired of having to watch him look down on others. Even us, his friends." He sighed exasperatedly and dribbled the ball. "He's too bossy…" he muttered, earning a giggle from Sakura. He raised a brow at this.

"Sorry, it's just how you said it and the way you turned away," she grinned. "It was what I would say, well, cute?"

He blushed and looked away, an annoyed look on his face. "Shut it Haruno."

"Sorry."

"Don't be." Again, he shot the ball towards the basket as it went in. "Uchi-"

"Sasuke." He corrected.

"What?"

Sasuke turned his head to her slightly, causing her to blush on the look he gave her. "I hate formalities, so drop it and just call me by my first name."

"Okay but, we aren't that close enough."

"Hn, in that case," he jumped and shot the ball. "Start asking me questions."

* * *

The next day wasn't so good at all for her, especially since almost every girl in school had given her death notes, glares and even the signals of beheading her once school ends. Just when she thought she was safe in her classroom, more of Sasuke's fans had gathered and gave her venomous looks that disrupted her attention in class. Her teachers were worried as well, knowing what had happened the other day, even though it was an accident. 

"_I can't believe this! Once I get my hands on the tattle tale…" _she trailed off, censoring all other thoughts of violence to prevent her from destroying the wooden pencil she had on her hand. _"Five more minutes before lunch, then I can finally escape." _

"So class, you have to make sure to add the acid on the water, not the other way around. Otherwise, it will cause a nasty reaction." Her chemistry teacher, Orochimaru, said as he wrote some notes on the board. _"Just when I was starting to think that having one S7 member as a friend would be cool…" _she sighed and turned back to the clock. _"One more minute…" _

Orochimaru dropped the chalk so he bent down to pick it up, missing the girl who threw an eraser at Sakura's forehead, causing her to wince and cry out from the pain. It was, after all, thrown _really _hard at her. Orochimaru raised a brow and looked at Sakura, seeing her glaring at someone in front as she rubbed her forehead that had a red mark on it. "Haruno-san, would you care to tell us what the commotion is all about?"

"Oh, it's nothing sensei, a mosquito was on my forehead and I attempted to kill it, only it got away." She lowered her head in embarrassment when the whole class snickered, especially some of Sasuke's fans. _"Good thing Hinata's my classmate." _She thought, glancing at her friend who gave her a worried look. "I see, as mentioned in Biology class last year, mosquitoes have fast reflexes. Make sure you catch it the next time it tries to suck your blood." He said with a small smile and continued to write on the board, only to have the bell ring.

With a sigh, he placed down the chalk as he turned to face his students who were starting to pack their things and bring out their lunch boxes. "Okay class, since the period is over, I might as well give you an assignment. Read pages 408-411 on your book." And he dismissed them. _"Am I glad I'm only teaching class A and C for today, I don't want to hear any of that Uzumaki brat's whines…"_

"Finally, I can take a break!" Sakura said, stretching her arms and gathering her things. She stood up and went over to Hinata. "Hey, Hinata, I won't be joining you girls for today, I wanna practice shooting some hoops." She grinned when Hinata's eyes widened and she answered in a whisper. "But you know that girls aren't allowed to use the gym unless it's PE class or if the coach or the team captain of the basketball team approves you."

"It's okay! No one's going to be there during lunch anyway! I'll be fine." She whispered back and smiled. "Don't tell anyone okay?"

"Alright, be careful Sakura."

* * *

Shinobi Seven was hanging around Naruto and Kiba's locker for a while, waiting for the two to finish getting their books for the next subject. "Gee Kiba, I never thought that your broken arm was that serious." Lee said, looking at the boy's left arm that was in a cast. "Oh, this is nothing, I've felt worse." He said, slamming his locker door shut and turning to Sasuke with a big grin. "I heard someone here had his first kiss stolen." The rest of the gang snickered and turned to Sasuke who gave a death glare at Naruto who laughed. 

"Sorry, couldn't help but share it to the world."

"You what!" Sasuke asked, rather, yelled, not just because the whole school now knows about his accidental kiss with Sakura, but because he was worried as to what his stupid fans would do to the pink-haired girl. _"Shit, I have got to look for her before those idiots do anything bad." _He straightened himself from his leaning position on one of the lockers and began to walk away, hands in his pockets.

"Yo, Sasuke, where are you going?" Kiba asked.

"It's none of your business, dog-boy."

"Hey!"

He ignored Kiba's insults and just continued walking away, glancing at every corner to see if Sakura was there or not. _"Damn, if I don't find her soon, she _will_ be dead."_ He rolled his eyes when he passed by a group of girls who giggled and stared at him. It happened every time, be it in or out of school. _"Sakura, where the hell are you?"_

* * *

_Bounce. Bounce. Bounce._

She panted and wiped the sweat away from her forehead as she picked up the ball and dribbled it. Sakura had removed her school uniform's top, and now only wore a short sleeved white shirt. She also removed her shoes before entering the gym, since it wasn't allowed inside.

"I should've brought my sneakers." She muttered, looking down at her socks. "It's hard to run in these." And she dribbled the ball and jumped, shooting it from the three-point area. It hit the ring, but didn't get in, and again, she cursed. "Why can't I get it right?"

From outside, someone had seen her, and that person just couldn't help but stare and smirk at her. Oh she was busted; she was going to be in trouble for sure.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 2: The Game that you Play_

"Sasuke…"

He looked down at her as she raised a hand slowly. _"Why..?" _she thought, her hand getting close to his face. _"Why can't… you be Naruto..?" _He felt her palm on his cheek as his gaze never left hers. _"Why didn't I… just fell in love with you?" _she smiled at him. _"Why… am I happy that you came instead of… Naruto..?" _and she opened her mouth to speak.

"Thank you… for noticing me…" and she lost consciousness.

* * *

_A/N: Hope you liked that! Thanks to my co-director, who I will hide under the name Mayline, for helping me out! She also says that: "Mga Pinoy na SasuSaku fans! Add niyo ako sa YM! mayline(underscore)the(underscore)black(underscore)assassin and ID ko!" Just replace the parenthesis with underscores.  
_


	2. The Game that you Play

**Ironies of Life**

The gym door opened, but she didn't take notice and did another three point shot, missing it again. She sighed in frustration and picked up the ball, glaring at it. "Why :an't I get it right?"

"Two things..."

Her eyes widened as she turned to the gym door, surprised that she was caught violating a school rule, and the consequences were either detention for a week, or worse, suspension.

"One, your form is wrong, and two, your timing isn't accurate."

"S-Sasuke…"

"You know you're not allowed here Sakura."

* * *

_**Chapter 2: The Game that you Play**_

"Sakura,"

She didn't move but just remained seated on her chair, her head lowered as she looked at her food on the dining table. Fried egg, two pieces of bacon, and a toast with butter spread on it.

"Sakura."

She did have a hell of a week after all, but what she couldn't forget was when Sasuke caught her in the gym, practicing basketball. _"Why?" _she thought, clenching her fist. _"I can't believe he did that. Was I wrong about him when I first met him?" _

"Haruno Sakura."

"_He…"_

"Sakura, I'm talking to you."

"…_didn't…"_

"Sa-ku-ra!"

"…_report me to Sarutobi-sensei."_

"Honey, don't ignore your mother."

She snapped from her thoughts and looked up, seeing her father with an amused smile and her mother with a vein popping at the side of her head. "Huh? What?"

Mrs. Haruno sighed and shook her head. "You were just so deep in thought that I decided to snap you out of it before you loose it." Sakura laughed and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry mom, I just had something in mind."

"Oh? Like what? A boy perhaps?" She asked, beaming as Mr. Haruno choked on his coffee. Sakura turned beet red and avoided her parents' gaze on her. "N-no… well, you're right about the boy part, but it has nothing to do with crushes or relationships." She explained, earning a disappointed sigh from her mom and a relieved one from her dad. "It's just that… I find him…"

"Handsome? Cute? Charming?" her mom asked.

"Annoying? Acting like a jerk? Embarrassing you?" her father continued.

Sakura smiled a bit. _"Well, all of the above actually," _she thought. _"Sasuke is attractive, to sum up mom's words, yet he can get on my nerves at times, but…" _she sighed and picked up her toast, nibbling on it. _"…confusing." _She concluded, remembering what had happened back in the gym a week ago.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

"Well, you see, I- that is…" she trailed off, looking down as she blushed, knowing that he was going to have to take her to the principal's office. "You are so pathetic…" he muttered, entering the gym and closing the door behind him as he undid the rest of his uniform's buttons. "And for that, you leave me no choice…" he added, slipping off his gakuran top, leaving him in only a white shirt and his school's pants, as well as white socks since he removed his shoes as well.

"_W-what is he g-going to do?" _she asked herself, blushing madly in front of him as he dumped his gakuran on the gym floor and approached her. She froze and looked down, bringing up her hands and started acting like Hinata when she tapped her index fingers together. "U-Um… S-Sasuke… I… I don't think I'm r-ready f-for…"

"What are you talking about? Hurry up before I change my mind about teaching you." He said from behind when he picked up the ball and stared at her with a raised brow. She blushed even redder and averted her gaze elsewhere, too embarrassed to say anything. _"Phew, and I thought he was going to do something… perverted…"_

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. "Shinobi Seven may be a gang, but remember that we're in Konoha, so we're not like other gangs who… rape girls or…" he turned red and looked away, "You get the idea." She stared at him, blinking when he just dribbled the ball and shifted under her gaze. She smiled a bit, her eyes half-closing as she looked down, a faint blush on her cheeks. He took the risk of looking at her, only to have their eyes meet and lock on each other.

"_What… what is this I'm suddenly feeling?" _he asked himself, not able to break their eye contact as her green eyes continued to look into his onyx ones. _"Was she always this… attractive..?" _

"Sasuke…" she said out loud, her voice having a dreamy tone to it that snapped her back to reality, which caused him to break eye contact as they both looked the other way and blushed. He cleared his throat to gain her attention. "Come on, lunch break is almost over." He turned to his right where the rest of the orange balls were. He aimed for it and shot the ball as it went in the container of the balls. He picked up his gakuran and swung it over his right shoulder and put on his shoes. Sakura picked her school uniform's top and slipped it on, including her school shoes as they headed out of the gym, closing the lights on their way out.

"So, you're really serious about teaching me?" she asked with a grin.

"Yeah, why not?" he shrugged. "Maybe every morning before school."

"Looking forward to it!"

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

"_Somehow, I felt like there's a spark between us…" _she thought when she stepped out of her home and out into the streets, heading to her school. 

_Blag!_

She felt her nose bleed as she dropped her stuff and fell to her knees. A soccer ball rolled on the sidewalk and Sakura stared at it, ignoring the flow of blood that dripped on her school's skirt and on some of her books. She raised a hand to let the blood drip on her opened palm, staring at the red and sticky liquid.

"Oh, sorry forehead-girl, I didn't see you there!" Sakura sighed, knowing who the girl who kicked the ball was; one of Ayaka's _bitches_, Naomi. _"This is probably another one of those 'torture Haruno Sakura for spending time with Sasuke' ideas of Ayaka-san." _Too bad, Naomi was a smart and pretty girl, athletic too, but she just had to fall for Uchiha Sasuke and she just had to join his unwanted fan club. "It's okay Naomi-san, it was an accident after all." She said, forcing a smile as she got up and cursed in her mind when the blood won't stop dripping. Naomi smirked at this. "Oh, it was no accident, I was just being sarcastic."

Sakura looked up at her and smiled again. "Oh, you too huh?"

This caused Naomi to frown and glare at her. "Are you annoying me forehead-girl?" Sakura dusted her skirt, ignoring the fact that her nose was still bleeding. "Not at all Naomi-san, I'm just saying that I too, was being sarcastic. Anyway, I have to go." She picked up her stuff and walked pass Naomi, only to be blocked by the girl's arm. "Sorry, Ayaka told me to make sure you don't get to school unharmed."

"Well, you just gave me a nose bleed; I think that's already enough harm."

"Yeah, but not enough..!" Naomi formed a fist and pulled it back, ready to punch her. Sakura shut her eyes, missing the shocked look on Naomi's face when someone arrived behind Sakura and glared at her. "I-it was her fault! She was mocking me and-"

He didn't let her continue when he used his foot to take the soccer ball on the ground. Next, he kicked it up in the air and then sent it flying to Naomi's face, giving the girl a nose bleed as well. Naomi fell back, and Sakura took this time to open her eyes and see what caused the commotion. She saw a terrified Naomi with her nose bleeding, her soccer ball a few feet beside her. Next, the girl picked it up and ran towards the school, tears evident in her eyes. Sakura turned her head slowly to see who had saved her or caused her more enemies, seeing that it was one of the Shinobi Seven, Hyuuga Neji.

"N-Neji-sempai..?" she asked, shocked that her friend's- Ten-Ten -crush was there. "W-why did you do that to her?"

Neji shrugged. "There are three people who I wouldn't want to worry, two of which are your friends, Hinata and Ten-Ten." He gestured to the two girls behind him where Ten-Ten and Hinata were, the former being held back by the latter. "Hinata was stopping Ten-Ten from attacking that girl herself, and also because that girl could do something if Ten-Ten took her revenge for you. If it was me who sent her away though, it's a different story."

"Huh?"

"Sasuke's my friend, I'm part of Shinobi Seven, therefore I have power or authority over anyone besides teachers and my friends. Including you and your friends because… well, Ten-Ten's my team manager, Hinata's my cousin and you're Sasuke's… err… friend."

"The three people you mentioned, who's the other one?"

"I think it's pretty obvious Sakura." Ten-Ten spoke, dragging Hinata and Neji with her. "Now come on, we have to get your nose treated."

"Oh, don't worry, the bleeding has stopped." She grinned sheepishly and followed the three who were a few feet ahead of her. "And thanks by the way Neji-sempai!"

* * *

"Naomi kicked the ball on your face?" Ino asked, stopping from eating her lunch when Sakura told them what happened to her uniform since it had blood stains. She nodded as Ten-Ten continued for her. "Man Sakura, you sure are getting a lot of enemies just for befriending Uchiha Sasuke!" Ino said, eating the rest of her food. Ten-Ten nodded at this. "Not to mention that the whole school thinks you did that kiss on purpose." 

"I did not!" She yelled- her face red. "I have six witnesses you know! There's Ino, Sasuke, Neji-sempai, Aburame-san, Nara-san and Naru-" she looked down. "I mean, Uzumaki-san."

The two girls looked at her when she lowered her head. Hinata chose this time to explain to the two what had happened in the gym after the accidental kiss, causing Ino to throw a fit. "He said what?" She asked, standing up and slamming her hands on the table, causing it to shake and the rest of the students in the cafeteria to look at their way, including S7. The three girls hushed her and tried to calm her down but she was already too angry. Ino looked around, her blue eyes scanning the area for any sign of the Uzumaki teen. Upon seeing the table the group of guys was in, she stomped over there, her three friends rushing after her and trying to stop her.

* * *

"Hey, dead-last," 

"What bastard?"

Sasuke smirked and drank the rest of his bottled water. "You're dead."

Naruto opened his mouth to ask something when he was stopped by a fist slamming the table he was eating on, some of his ramen spilling due to the impact. The rest of S7 watched in amusement as Ino glared at Naruto who was staring at the spilled ramen. "Listen Uzumaki, I don't care if you're the leader of S7, nor do I give a damn if you're filthy rich, but I don't want you telling my best friend off like that ever again!"

Slowly, the leader of S7 looked up to match Ino's glare. "Let me guess," he smirked. "Haruno went running to you and told you what I did?" he said in a tone of mockery. Sakura shook at this but tried to keep calm and cool about it. She grabbed Ino's arm and took a deep breathe-in. "Ino, come on, stop making a scene here, the principal might come."

"Yeah _Ino_, listen to your friend here, you wouldn't want to get suspended or kicked out now, right?" Naruto teased. Ino shook and glared at Naruto, unsure whether to hit him on the face and get kicked out since he was rich and could practically pay the school to get her to leave, or she could let this slide and plan her revenge once they graduate. "What's wrong _Ino_? Can't hit a boy?"

_Bam!_

Naruto's eyes widened, so did Shikamaru and Kiba's. Lee only watched in awe and Shino's expression couldn't be told since he was wearing shades. Neji held in his laughter while Sasuke smirked. _"Looks like she finally heeded what I told her last week."_

"What the hell was that for Haruno?" Naruto asked, glaring at the pink-haired girl who stood her ground and returned the same glare. "Listen Uzumaki-san, I don't care if you tell me off or threaten me, I don't care what you do, but if you ever treat my friends that way again, I will not hesitate to hit you." And she heard a clap coming from behind, seeing Lee with a smile. Naruto glared. "What the hell are you clapping at for Lee?"

"Oh, I just thought it was the right moment." He grinned sheepishly. "And it was." They all turned to Sasuke who sealed his empty water bottle with a cap and stood up. "Thanks for the entertainment Sakura." He said, winking at her which caused her to blush before he turned his back on them and disposed his bottle. "Hey, where're you going?" Kiba asked. Sasuke turned his head to him. "Like I said before Kiba, it's none of your business." And he continued walking away.

Naruto got up as a vein popped at the side of his head. "You're going to pay for that Haruno!"

"Really?" she asked. "How much do I owe your face?"

"Ooohhh…" Kiba and Shikamaru said, grinning.

* * *

He watched when her student seemed to be so happy about something, it was not everyday you see Haruno Sakura smiling in class. Normally, she would always have a frown whenever she was thinking up of a solution, or sometimes, just a plain serious face that made you aware that she was listening intently on the discussion. But smiling during math class? Even a genius wouldn't dare do that, especially since the lesson is about proving statements. Geometry was after all, according to students, hell. 

Never the less, Asuma just dropped the subject and continued to write on the board a few descriptions of what the definition of theorem 4.3 is. He could sense some of the students of class A groaning and scratching their heads as they tried to figure out the exercise he told them to answer on their book. He glanced at his top two students, Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Hinata. The former was done solving hers, and she had a really, _really _bright smile on her face. As for Hyuuga, she was answering the problem with ease, double checking if she did any mistakes.

"Haruno,"

"Yes sensei?"

"Please write your answer on the board." He said, putting down the chalk as he waited for Sakura to pick her notebook up-where she wrote her answers-and walk over to the front. A girl seated in the second row smirked and brought out her foot, causing Sakura to trip as she fell forward, her face meeting the cement floor of the room. Asuma quickly rushed over to check if she was okay or not, at the same time glaring at the class and asking who did the dirty trick. Of course, no one dared to raise their hands. They know that they will have detention with the scariest teacher of all, Morino Ibiki, the brother of Idate.

Sakura muttered something incoherent under her breath and stood up with her teacher's help. Hinata looked at Sakura worriedly, mouthing an "are you okay" to the girl who gave a small smile and nodded. Asuma noted the bruise on her forehead, as well as a smudge of blood. He clicked his tongue at this. "Haruno, head to the clinic to have that treated." Sakura gave a nod and excused herself, heading out of the door as Asuma called for Hinata to answer the problem instead.

"_Damn you Ayaka." _She thought, cursing the girl who tripped her. Sasuke's fans probably saw how he treated her earlier, and how he even complimented, in a way, her punch on Naruto. Again, she smiled. It felt satisfying actually, even though she did hit her crush. At this, a frown set upon her lips. _"I just wasted another chance to earn his affection." _She sighed irritably and knocked on the clinic's door, hearing someone telling her to come in. When she did, she was surprised to see who would be there. _"Speak of the devil…" _she thought, her brows creasing when she saw her crush seated on one of the chairs, an ice pack on his left jaw. He glared at her when she stepped inside, causing her to involuntarily shake with fear. She knew what he was capable of, and it scared her, knowing that Naruto can expel her with his riches and all.

"What happened to you?"

She lit up a bit when she heard that voice, at least she can still, somehow, be at ease with him around. A small smile tugged on her lips as she seated herself next to Sasuke, a seat away from Naruto. "The leader of your fan club tripped me with her clown foot." She said bluntly. He smirked and shook his head, standing up to head over to a cupboard and get an ice pack. Next, he took the ice out of the small fridge in the clinic and handed it to her. Sakura gave him a confused look as he sat back down in-between Naruto and her. "Tsunade-san and Shizune-san are out for a break; in the meantime, I'm sort of, taking over."

"You?" she asked, surprised. "I don't remember you telling me about you knowing medical stuffs…" he gave another one of his trademark smirks. "You never asked." She giggled and placed the pack on her forehead, flinching when the ice stung her bruise. "Ouch…" she whispered, hoping the two didn't hear her, but unfortunately, they did. Naruto smirked at this.

"You're such a baby Haruno."

Sakura clenched her free fist and closed her eyes to calm her down, trying her best not to argue or hit the boy again. Sasuke elbowed his best friend who gave him a "what" look. "I do recall you yelling when you placed that on your jaw."

"Shut up."

"Hey, you two aren't classmates right? So why are you both here?"

"Well, the dead-last here kept complaining about his jaw,"

"This is courtesy of your fist Haruno…" Naruto mumbled.

"…and well, headed here, but the doctor and nurse were out for a break. So, since none of the guys in our gang except me knows basic first aid, he disrupted our class to have a word with me, and pleaded Jiraiya-sensei to excuse me until he was fine."

"So, you're missing social studies..?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Never really did care about it, especially since the teacher is a pervert."

"I see… ow!" she hissed, the sting coming back. Sasuke laughed a bit and took the ice pack from her. "Hmm, no wonder, you have a wound there." He got up and took out some ointment and a bandage. "Might as well wrap that up for you…" Sakura blushed when his face was a bit close to hers, she dreaded getting lost in his eyes again that she averted her gaze elsewhere, only to land on his lips, where she continued staring at as he wrapped the bandage around her head, making sure that it was secured.

Naruto took note of this, and somehow, his hold on the ice pack tightened.

"There, you'll be fine now." He said, patting her head gently as she blinked and murmured a "thanks" to him. He gave a small smile at her and turned back to his best friend. "And you?" Naruto cocked a brow. "What about me?" Sasuke rolled his eyes at this. "Knowing you, you're probably just staying here to avoid Orochimaru-sensei."

"I hate chemistry, and aren't you glad you're not sitting in on one of the perv's lectures?"

"Yeah, but come on, I have a reputation as an Uchiha to live up to."

"You go ahead then, I'll be fine here."

Sasuke sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Dude, you keep forgetting that one must not leave the patient." It was Naruto's turn to roll his eyes this time. "I'll follow after five minutes or so. Besides, Haruno's going to be here for a while anyway." Sasuke glanced at Sakura who stared back at him then he turned to Naruto. "Don't do anything stupid okay?" Naruto waved a dismissive hand at him. With a sigh, Sasuke pocketed his hands and walked towards the door, stopping when he got a hold of the door knob. "Hey, dead-last, Sakura." The two looked up to him as he turned his head to them. "Stop fighting already, you two are my friends, so I don't want to have to come to the conclusion of having to choose whether I stay with S7 or with Sakura." And he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Awkward silence fell on them as they fidgeted a bit. "Well, we might as well do him a favor." Sakura began, turning her head to face Naruto as she extended out her right hand to him. He stared at it for a while. "Let's just… at least do this for him." Naruto looked away, not bothering to shake her hand. "Why don't we just do this," he said, getting up and leaving the ice pack on the nurse's table. "Sasuke's been my best friend since I was in the fifth grade, and I'm not just about to give that friendship away to a girl I barely notice." He looked at her with an icy glare that caused her to shiver. "Stay away from him Haruno, ever since he became friends with you, he's been treating you the same way he treated me when we were kids. And now that his attention is on you, S7 is slowly loosing him." And he left her there in the clinic to ponder on the words he had said.

Sakura lowered her head as her eyes became a bit watery. _"Am I the cause of your annoyance Naruto?" _she placed a hand on her bandaged head, still recalling how Sasuke had treated her wound. _"Is my friendship with Sasuke the reason why you're so… mean?"_

* * *

This was something that didn't happen in his class, and Orochimaru was very sure that something was bugging Sakura, especially since she hasn't written anything on her notebook, nor had she recited in his period. Before he moved to this class, he passed by Sasuke who had a worried look. He kept glancing back at the clinic's way, feeling uneasy. After a few moments, Naruto came out from the room with a frown, and somehow, the chemistry teacher of Konoha High had a bad feeling about it. What's worse, Sakura came out from the clinic as well, and her eyes had evidences of her crying. To make matters worst, when he and Sakura walked back to class A together, Naruto just came from that direction and said that he made a wrong turn, before heading to his own class. And when he and Sakura set foot in class A, all of Sasuke's fans had glared at her direction. 

"_That Uzumaki is such a troublemaker." _He thought, dismissing his class when the bell had rung, signaling that school was over for the day. Hinata approached Sakura's desk and shook her a bit. Sakura looked up and smiled at Hinata, telling the girl that she was fine and that she goes ahead of her to the gym. Hinata didn't want to at first, but seeing as Sakura was so damn persistent, she went ahead. Orochimaru didn't want to pester or question his top student, so he just sighed and fixed his papers, then headed for the door. He stopped when he saw Ayaka and her peers waiting by Sakura's locker, and he knew that something bad was going to happen. So…

"Haruno,"

"..?"

"Can you please help me bring back the class' test papers in the faculty room?"

"Sure sensei." She stood up and slung her messenger bag on her right shoulder, then took half of the papers Orochimaru carried as they both headed towards the faculty room. _"Today, class C's last period is history. Hopefully, Kakashi asked Uchiha to come with him to the faculty so that Haruno won't be alone when going to the gym." _

They reached the teacher's room and Sakura went in with Orochimaru's permit and consent. The chemistry teacher looked around, seeing no Kakashi or Sasuke. With a dejected sigh, he thanked Sakura for her help and told her to be careful. The girl took it as a teacher's care for a student that she smiled her thanks and left after greeting some of the teachers she passed by. Orochimaru watched until she disappeared out of the door, hoping that nothing bad would happen. _"I would've gone with her if only Sarutobi didn't have a meeting scheduled for today."_

* * *

Sakura checked her wrist watch, seeing that she was going to be late in five minutes if she didn't run to the gym now. With a shrug, she held onto the strap of her bag and ran down the hallway, turning a few corners until she reached the stairs, only to be pulled back by a few hands, causing her to fall on her rear on the floor. 

"What the-!" she rubbed the sore spot of her butt and looked up to see Ayaka with Naomi and two more girls, smirking and looking down at her. _"Oh shit, this is not good." _Ayaka took her by the arm, forcing her to get up a bit as Sakura winced when the preppy girl's long, well-manicured nails dug onto her uniform's sleeves, hurting her skin at the process. "Sakura-_chan_ has spent way too much time with Sasuke-kun." She hissed in a fake sweet tone.

"A-Ayaka-san…" she said weakly. "…you're hurting me…"

"Am I?" Ayaka asked. "Good. That's my intention in the first place." She brought her up to her feet and dragged Sakura up the stairs, all the way to the roof top with her friends following behind, smirks on their faces.

* * *

"Sasuke!" 

The whole team turned to the gym doors when it opened, seeing their ex-team captain, Lee, enter as he panted and looked for Sasuke. Zabuza rushed to him and scolded him for running, especially in his condition. Lee just ignored Zabuza when Sasuke jogged over to him, a flash of concern on his face. "Lee, you know that you're not supposed to run or do anything strenuous. You're already not allowed to play sports and if you keep doing something like this, you won't be able to walk!" the coach said, narrowing his eyes. "I'm sorry sensei, but this is important." He turned to Sasuke with serious eyes. "It's Sakura-san," at the mention of her name, the Uchiha's eyes widened. "I overheard Ayaka-san tell her friends that they planned to do something to Sakura, but I couldn't stick around since they went to the comfort room, and I thought that if I ran fast here, I could prevent them from doing something!"

Sasuke didn't wait for Lee to finish, nor did he bother to heed Zabuza's calls when he instantly sprinted out of the gym and headed back inside the school, unaware of Naruto's narrowed eyes and clenched fists.

* * *

"_Damn it! Why can't those girls just leave her alone? I thought Neji said she was cleared?" _he cursed himself when he stopped to catch his breath, he didn't know where to go, and that was really stupid of him to not ask Lee of the girls' whereabouts. He heard the comfort room door open, and out came a female freshman who looked a little bothered. _"I guess I can ask." _He strode over to her to call her attention. "Hey," he yelled. The girl turned to him and blushed, stuttering out his last name. "U-Uchiha-sempai!" 

"Do you know Haruno Sakura?"

"Y-yes."

"Do you know where she is right now?"

The girl looked down for a while. "I do but… Ayaka-sempai and her friends threatened me, they warned me not to spill or-"

"Look, you're talking to a member of Shinobi Seven, so don't worry about them and just tell me where Sakura is before she gets killed!"

"Killed?" her eyes widened. "The rooftop sempai, please hurry before it's too late!" she cried out as Sasuke muttered a "thanks" and left the girl behind, running up the stairs and heading towards the door that led to the school's rooftop. He slowed down and panted, seeing that the door wasn't fully closed, giving him access to take a peek at what's going on.

He could see Sakura, thanks to her pink hair, and Ayaka, being so loud. The girl had pushed Sakura on the floor, and it pissed him off when she didn't bother to move or stand up and defend herself. Just when he was about to kick the door open due to his frustration, he heard Sakura yell at Ayaka.

* * *

"What did you say?" Ayaka hissed, pulling Sakura's long hair so that she'll be able to get a good look at Haruno's messed up face. Sakura opened her eyes and glared at her bully. "I said you don't deserve Sasuke. He isn't owned by anyone, nor is he your property! He's a human being for goodness sakes and there is no way he'll ever look at you with an attitude like that!" Ayaka glared at her and threw her back on the ground, causing her forehead to hit the cemented floor, her wound beginning to bleed again as she shut her eyes from the stinging pain it gave. Her body ached all over from the beatings she received from the four girls, yet she still fought verbally, she still defended her dignity, as well as Sasuke's, not knowing that he was watching and listening the whole time. 

"Why are you mad Ayaka-san? Are you jealous that I managed to get to Sasuke without having to flirt or show him affection? Well guess what!" she raised her head to look at Ayaka. "It isn't my fault that he's friendly to me, he chose to be, and I let him be my friend because there is nothing wrong with that! The problem with you airheads is that you only care about yourselves that you're all too narrow-minded and stupid to come up with conclusions that the accidental kiss we had was done on purpose! I'm not that stupid to stoop so slow like what you and his fans would do!"

_Slap!_

That's it, Sasuke had had enough, especially since that slap from Ayaka to Sakura caused his first female friend to hit her head on the floor. He kicked the door open, causing it to slam against the wall, the hinges close to being ripped if he kicked even harder. Ayaka and her friends froze when they saw him glare at them, the look and aura of death surrounding him as he spoke in a low and ice cold voice. "Leave her alone." He ordered, approaching them as they took a few steps back, cowering from him.

Sakura opened her eyes, adjusting to the light and trying to clear her blurry vision. She saw a familiar jersey, and seeing that it had the number seven on it, she knew who it was that came to her rescue. She felt herself being lifted up from the ground, two arms supporting her frail body, holding her close and protectively. "S-Sasuke..?" she asked in a weak voice. Said teen averted his gaze from Ayaka and her friends to Sakura, his eyes softening when they came in contact with her emerald orbs. "It's okay, I'm here." He whispered, walking away from the four girls and towards the door.

"Why?" he stopped when Ayaka asked. "Why her? What does she have that we don't? She doesn't even like you! So how come..?"

"Because…" he slowly turned his head to them, his eyes still glaring at them as they shook and remained standing, unable to move. "She was the only one who saw me as a human, not as a thing that you obsess about." And he continued to leave the four until he was out the door and down the stairs.

"Sasuke…"

He looked down at her as she raised a hand slowly. _"Why..?" _she thought, her hand getting close to his face. _"Why can't… you be Naruto..?" _He felt her palm on his cheek as his gaze never left hers. _"Why didn't I… just fall in love with you?" _she smiled at him. _"Why… am I happy that you came instead of… Naruto..?" _and she opened her mouth to speak.

"Thank you… for noticing me…" and she lost consciousness.

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 3: Attract and Repel_

"…Sasuke…" Her face heated up as their gazes locked. Sakura stared long and hard in his onyx orbs, half of her wishing they were azure eyes, but the other half…

"…_is thankful that they're not blue…" _her eyelids felt a bit heavy, and she found herself lowering her head to him, as if they were opposite charges that attracted each other, unlike whenever she and Naruto came in contact. _"If I were near him, we would repel, yet when I'm with Sasuke…"_

He too could feel his eyelids block his vision as he raised his head to her.

"…_we attract each other and draw ourselves closer."_


	3. Attract and Repel

**Ironies of Life**

"Come on, you can do this."

She huffed and dribbled the ball a few times before jumping and releasing it in the air, letting it go in the basket as she smiled and turned to her tutor. "Nice shot Sakura." He said, picking up the ball that rolled to him. "Come on, you still have to change into your uniform." He returned the orange ball in his sports bag and picked it up; grabbed his gakuran top and slung it on his right shoulder as he waited for Sakura to remove her sneakers and put on her school shoes. "Wow, it's been four weeks since you first taught me some of your tricks Sasuke," she ran to catch up to him, almost stumbling if she didn't catch her balance in time. She looked up at him and gave a smile. "Thanks for the tips!"

"No problem." He said, smiling a bit as they both headed to Konoha High.

"Hey, Sasuke," he turned to her with a raised eyebrow, causing her to giggle at the way he acts before continuing. "Are you fond of horror movies?"

"Not really, but I do watch them when I get the chance." He said, shrugging. "Why?"

"Well, since Zabuza-sensei gave you and me a day-off from practice today, do you mind accompanying me to watch Shutter?" she blushed a bit and lowered her head, finding the ground interesting to look at. "Why are you asking me and not Yamanaka or Hinata?" She grinned sheepishly. "Ino hates scary movies; Hinata will probably come home late since she's taking over my job for today as team manager. And Ten-Ten will have to go with the soccer team on their big game against Cloud High. So, can you?"

He shrugged, seeing as he had spare time later on after school. Sakura beamed and tackled him to a hug, thanking him repeatedly as he struggled and told her it was nothing, at the same time his face turned red.

* * *

**_Chapter 3: Attract and Repel_**

"Ah, the youth of this class fascinates me so much!"

"And there he goes again…" muttered Naruto, resisting the urge to pull onto his hair while listening to his music teacher's speeches before starting the period. "Tell me again why we took this extra-class for our free period?" he asked, slumping his shoulders as he rested his chin on top of his desk, glancing at his best friend on his left. Sasuke, who sat at a relaxed position faced the blonde and smirked. "I told you I'd take this class, I didn't exactly force you to come, and you joined on your own." He stole a glance at a girl that was seated three seats away in front of Naruto. "Not to mention that you signed up for this class because of her."

The leader of S7 blushed and glared at Sasuke who had a grin on his face. "Shut it Sasuke, and why did you join here? Maybe it's because some girl caught your eye too huh?" he frowned when the Uchiha shook his head and turned back to the front, noting that Gai is ending his eight-minute long speech. "I joined because I wanted to."

"Now then, for our activity for the next few weeks, I will have to pick a pair who will sing for the opening act of this year's school dance!" he announced, seeing how most girls began to giggle and glance at two of S7's members, Naruto and Sasuke. "Last year, the pair that was chosen were Noriko Ayaka and U-" he was cut off when the door opened as Sakura held onto it for support, panting and trying to catch her breath before explaining why she was late.

"Sorry sensei, I just came from the principal's office regarding a certain accident in the rooftop last week." She explained, stealing a glance at Sasuke who raised a brow at her direction. Gai scratched his head in confusion. "I didn't know you were in this class Haruno." Hinata chose to raise her hand as Gai called her. "She had three free periods because of her high grades, which is why our adviser, Kurenai-sensei, told her to take two extra classes. However, every extra subject was full, so she had to wait until she was informed."

Gai nodded at this and thanked Hinata for the explanation. He turned back to Sakura and did his infamous nice guy pose, with his teeth shining and all. "Welcome aboard Haruno! Please take the empty seat in front of Uchiha over there." She nodded her thanks and went to her spot, catching the glare Naruto sent her and the smirk Sasuke gave. "I didn't know you were into music Sakura." The Uchiha said when she sat down. Sakura turned her head to him and stuck her tongue out. "You never asked." And she earned another amused smirk from Sasuke.

"You stole my line."

"Nah, I just borrowed it."

"So what's your other class?"

She grinned. "Home economics."

The teacher coughed to gain the class' attention. "Now, just like before, I will let each of you sing a solo up front, and then I will pick some boys and some girls to sing together, and then finally, choose the best pair who will sing for the opening act of the school dance." He looked around. "Any questions?" he asked. Seeing no one raising their hands, he continued: "In that case, start choosing your songs and pass them to me on a piece of paper with your name on it. First comes first, served, so I suggest you start thinking of your song. Also, if you plan on composing one yourself, then you get an automatic of plus five in your grade." He sat down on his chair and did some paperwork as the students began thinking up of songs to sing.

* * *

"Did you hear?" a girl asked, running to her friends as they turned to her. "This morning, some sophomores overheard that Uchiha-sempai and Haruno-sempai are going out on a date after school!" 

"What? Really? Wow! I can't believe those two are really going out!"

"It's about time actually; I think Uchiha-sempai deserves a break from basketball and his noisy fans too."

That was the talk around the campus, and Ino nearly dropped her books when she heard it. With a big grin on her face, she ran to Sakura's locker, seeing her friend surrounded by three freshmen girls who seemed pretty excited about something. Ino shook her head at this and walked over to her best friend.

"Ne, Haruno-sempai, it must be exciting to go on a date with Konoha High's heartthrob."

"Yeah! I heard from some seniors that he hasn't gone out with anybody besides his pals!"

Sakura smiled at their antics and closed her locker door. "It's not exactly a date, it's just- you know- a hang-out. I mean, he's my friend after all, and I didn't ask him to accompany me as a date but as a friend." She turned to her left to see Ino standing a few feet away from her with a smile on her lips. "I heard someone's got a date today." The pink-haired girl blushed and punched Ino on the arm playfully. "It's not-"

* * *

"-a date!" 

"Sure, whatever." Neji said, smirking as his friend glared at him. "Come on guys, this is not funny, she just asked me to accompany her. Besides, it's not exactly fun to watch a movie on your own." Sasuke reasoned, threatening to punch Kiba on the head if he didn't stop laughing. Shino remained silent but had a smirk on his face while Shikamaru snickered. "Just because you two were given free time?"

"Why not? What else can I do anyway? Kiba's arm isn't fully healed yet, you, Naruto and Shino have to attend practice. Plus, Neji has a big soccer game and Lee will most probably help Gai-sensei out again." He caught how Naruto remained quiet the whole time, and he can't help but frown a bit. "I never thought that Sasuke will go out on a date with a girl!" Neji teased, laughing as hard as Kiba was, followed by Lee. "No duh I'll go out with a girl, unlike you, Hyuu-gay."

"What did you call me Uchi-Uke?"

"I'm not an uke!"

"Will you guys just shut up already?!" Naruto yelled, annoyed about the whole thing. The guys just stared at him as he continued to eat his lunch, all exchanging looks and shrugging. "What's up with you?" Shikamaru asked, putting down the book that he was reading earlier. The blonde closed his eyes and took a sip from his cola, ignoring his friend's question. "Hey, dead-last, the genius just asked you a question." Sasuke said, smirking when Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the nickname. "You wanna know what's up?" Naruto asked back, getting up from his seat and looking at Sasuke in the eye. "I don't get why you have to hang-out with her when you can just wait for us to finish practice."

The Uchiha raised a brow at this. "What's wrong with hanging out with a girl for a change? I mean, Sakura's my friend too." He saw Naruto's fists clenched. "I'm jealous." S7 stared wide-eyed at him, getting the wrong impression. "Not that way you idiots!" Naruto yelled, blushing in embarrassment. "I'm jealous that my best friend is spending more time with some girl instead of his friends, I'm envious of how the two of you are getting closer each day, and how I'm..." he trailed off and looked down. "…loosing my best friend to her..."

Sasuke remained quiet for a while before sighing and running a hand through his bangs. "Look you idiot, I'm not leaving S7 behind." They all turned their attention to him this time. "You guys are my friends okay, and you're my best friend Naruto, so don't worry about loosing our friendship over Sakura." Naruto didn't seem to be satisfied. "Would it please you to know that she likes someone else?"

"No way," Kiba said, slapping Sasuke's shoulder. "You've got to be kidding! It's too obvious that she has a crush on you!"

"Trust me," he said, giving a smirk. "She likes someone else."

* * *

"You're going out on a date?" 

"For the last time mom, it's not a date." Sakura said, sighing as she came out from the showers and dried her hair with a towel. "It's just a gimmick." Mrs. Haruno was raiding her daughter's closet and Sakura sweat dropped at this, seeing how her mother seemed pretty excited about picking an outfit for her daughter. "This one seems nice." She said, taking out a white spaghetti-strapped top, along with a black denim mini-skirt. "Mom, why are you so enthusiastic about this?" she asked, taking the clothing from her mother as she began to remove her bathrobe and put her clothes on. "It's your first date dear, I just thought of helping you out." She ushered Sakura to sit down in front of the dresser. "Here, let me do your hair for you." Haruno Kasumi took a brush and combed her daughter's long pink locks, thinking up of a hair style that would suit her clothes. "So, tell me more about this Sasuke."

"Why so interested?"

"He's your first date Sakura, so I just want to know."

They heard the door bell ring, and Sakura was about to stand and get it but Kasumi stopped her. "Just get ready, I'll go and answer it." And she left her daughter to finish up as she went down the stairs and opened the front door, seeing none other than Sasuke himself. "Uchiha Sasuke I presume?" she asked with a friendly smile. The boy gave a respectful bow and a small smile of his own. "Yes Haruno-san, is Sakura..?"

"Oh, she's almost done, in the mean time, come on in." she opened the door wider for him to enter as he took off his shoes and stepped inside, following the Haruno matriarch into the living room. "Have a seat for a while Uchiha-san, would you like to drink anything?"

"No thank you, I'm fine." He answered. "Okay then." Kasumi said, sitting down across from him. He shifted a bit under Sakura's mom's gaze. It sort of reminded him of his own mother whenever he and his brother were in a formal suit. "I can't believe my daughter lied to me." She suddenly spoke. "H-huh?" he asked, blinking. Kasumi only grinned. "I asked her if you were handsome, but she said no and kept avoiding the topic." She gave a dreamy sigh. "I just knew right then and there that she was lying." Sasuke sweat dropped when Kasumi placed a hand on her cheek and began day dreaming. "I-I see…"

"Oh don't be so shy around me Sasuke, is it okay if I call you that?"

"Yes it is Haruno-san."

"Ah, and don't call me that, it makes me feel old, I'd prefer it if you call me 'oka-san'." She winked, giving him a hint of where she's getting at. _"I don't even know Sakura for that long, and we're not even in an intimate relationship." _He thought, nodding none the less. "So, how long have you known Sakura?" she asked, a smile on her face. "About four weeks or more; I sort of, lost count." He said, looking away as a tint of red stained his cheeks. "My, you sure have guts to ask her out so soon." She said, nodding her head and then grinned. "I love it!"

Sasuke sweat dropped at Sakura's mom. It was sort of amazing how his own mom had a few things in common with Kasumi, and he can't help but picture Mikoto and Kasumi setting him and Sakura up. "-and you know what? Sakura cried all day because she can't ride her bike! Even until now!" He blinked, sure he was listening about Kasumi's stories of her daughter, yet he can't help but hold-in his laughter when she said that Sakura still can't ride a bike. Speaking of Sakura, it's been about nine minutes since he got here.

"Mom, you'd better not be talking about me again!"

They both turned to the stairs after hearing the girl's voice and footsteps. Sasuke gaped when he saw Sakura come down with her hair down and not in a half-ponytail style. _"Wow…" _he thought, seeing her walk over to him in slow motion, at least, to him it was. "Hey Sasuke, sorry to keep you waiting." She said, blushing and looking down.

Kasumi took note of this and laughed, catching the two teens' attention. "If you two don't mind, I'd just like to have a few reminders." The two gave a nod and sat down as Kasumi cleared her throat. "Sakura's curfew is at 10.30, eleven being the latest, but since you're her date, I'll make an exception." She grinned, causing the two to turn beet red. "That's about it actually, now go on and have fun!"

* * *

"Please tell me my mother did not tell you anything about me…" she said, putting both hands on her head as they both walked towards the mall. "Well…" he said, looking up at the dark sky with a smirk on his face. "Oh no… what did she tell you..?" he shrugged. "You can't ride a bike, you were a crybaby, you're a daddy's girl, you like sweets and would always whine when your parents won't buy you what you want to eat and that you're a scaredy-cat." 

"_That_ much?" she asked, one of her eyes twitching in annoyance as he continued walking with his hands in the pockets of his beige cargo pants. "Yeah, basically, that's all she was able to tell me until you came down." She pouted at him. "That's not fair; you get to know more about me while I don't know too much about you."

"Okay, what _do _you know about me?"

"That you like tomatoes, you play basketball and soccer, you go to the arcade with your pals, you're fond of music, you like jogging along the shore at dawn, you were named after a great ninja while your brother was named after a weasel, your dad likes your brother better while your mom prefers you anytime and any day." She counted everything else with her fingers as he continued staring at her while she blabbed about what she knew about him. "And lastly, you hate spicy and sweet foods."

"Hn." He took his right hand out and supported his chin with his index finger and thumb positioned in a thinking pose. "I'm ambidextrous."

"You are?"

"Aa." He said. "I'm a sharp shooter, be it in games, real life or sports, I can read from afar, thus my seating arrangement in class, I moved to a smaller home so that I'll be a walking distance to school, the park and the beach, including the outdoor court we use every morning." She nodded as he continued. "I know how to ride a bike, unlike you."

"Stop rubbing it in!"

He laughed and she stared at him, finding it a bit unusual. _"I never thought he could laugh like this. After all, the only laughter I heard from him is a short one or a muffled one, more or less, a snicker, but never a chuckle." _They reached the mall and headed for the top floor where the cinema area was. "Next screening time will be at 8.45, right now, it's 6.28." she said, looking at the TV screen displayed for everyone to see what the next schedule of movies will be. Sasuke tapped his chin before taking out his wallet. "Let's buy our tickets, get some dinner, walk around or something and then watch the film, how's that?"

"Sure." She said, smiling. They both purchased their tickets and looked for a place to eat. "So, what are you fond of eating?" he asked as they walked around. "Our traditional food, Chinese or American?" he asked again, glancing around the place. "I don't know, I'd settle for anything anyway." She said, shrugging. "Italian..?" he asked, looking at a restaurant that served pastas, pizzas and many more. "Why not?" they went inside, a waiter greeting them as they entered, then led them to a table for two.

"Great ambience." She said, turning her head from left to right until a waiter handed them two menus for them to browse at. "What're you having?" he asked, scanning through the list. Sakura, on the other hand, had her eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets. _"You have got to be kidding me…" _she thought, staring at the prices of each food. Sasuke took note of her sudden silence and decided to play psychologist. _"Let's see, eyes wide, jaw hung open, brows a bit sweaty, twitching here and there. Hmm…" _he smirked. "Why don't we just share a plate of spaghetti and pizza?" he asked as she blinked and gave a twitching smile, along with a nod.

Sasuke turned to the waiter and told him their orders. "Drinks?" the man asked. "Iced tea." They both said in unison and turned to each other, staring. She grinned sheepishly and he smirked as the waiter listed their orders and left. "So, same taste to drinks?" he asked, not removing the smirk on his face. "Ehehe, you can blame Ten-Ten for that." He rolled his eyes at this. "And you can blame Naruto for my liking to iced tea."

"I see…" she looked down on her hands that were folded on top of her lap. He raised a brow at this, feeling her uneasiness. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" she asked, looking up. "Oh, it's nothing."

"Don't lie to me Sakura."

She sighed. "Your best friend…" he urged her to continue. "When you left the two of us in the clinic, he… sort of… told me to keep away from you. I don't exactly get why, but he said that… he didn't want me getting in-between. Orochimaru-sensei thinks that it's Naruto who's been spreading everything that we do around the school. I mean, no one else but you, Naruto or me knows about your treatment to our bumps/bruises. And when I came back to class, Naruto came from it and said that he made a mistake in turning a corner, and when I went in, my girl classmates, specifically your fans, glared at me."

"Are you saying that Naruto..?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure yet. I just want to get this out of my head."

"Hn." He thought for a while, deciding that he would talk to Naruto about it before Sakura gets seriously hurt. _"She already did…" _he reminded himself of the rooftop incident, and he swore, when she thanked him, and he saw how helpless and fragile she was, that he would protect her. "Sir, ma'am, your orders are here." The waiter called their attention and placed the plate of spaghetti and pizza on their table, along with their drinks. Next, he put two empty plates in front of them and wished them a good meal and that they enjoy it.

* * *

"I can't believe you did that!" she said as they headed for the arcade. "Well, you looked like you were panicking inwardly about the price of the meals so I thought that I treat you instead." Sakura sighed and looked down. "Thanks though," she murmured. "But how did you know? I mean, not too many people are given that gift of observation and ability to be able to predict what one is feeling or thinking with just one look." 

"That's one more thing you will now know about me." He said. "I have this natural gift of being psychic. My dad always pushed me to develop this gift further, and my mom would suggest that I take up counseling or Psychology as my course." He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'm meant to take it."

"You should though, from the way I see it, you have a knack for the field of medicine."

"Hn, that's what they all say. What about you? What course do you plan on taking?"

Sakura thought for a while as they reached the arcade. "I was thinking of Music and Arts, but I'm still unsure about it." He smiled a bit. "The question is, do you like the course?" she nodded. "Then you should. The more you enjoy the lessons you're taking, the more you will be successful." She grinned at him. "Yeah, you should definitely take up counseling." They took out their membership cards and loaded it with the given amount they paid. "Okay, what game should we play first?" she asked, looking around. "Since you treated me to dinner, I'll give you the honor of picking the first game."

He shook his head and led her to a game where there were guns involved, and some zombies as well. "House of the dead…" she read. "Normally, I'd pick Time Crisis, but seeing as a lot of people are waiting in line for that game," he pulled the gun from the machine's built-in holster and swiped his card. "This will have to do. Swipe your card and then we can play." She nodded and picked up the other gun and swiped her own card. The game started as they readied themselves to shoot.

* * *

"Sasuke! I'm so gonna kill you for this!" she yelled, not bothering to aim her gun at the zombies but just kept shooting. The moment the monsters lessened and when the game went on CPU mode, she looked at their scores, causing her jaw to drop on the ground. "I've only shot ten while you have more than two hundred!" Beside her, Sasuke remained quiet and had his eyes glued on the screen, his gun held up as if he were an agent or a police in a mission. When the game started again, he aimed his gun at the zombies and fired at top speed, earning more points, as well as audiences in the arcade. 

"Wow, this guy is good." She heard some people behind them say, as well as some guys laugh as they saw her own score. She twitched and had a vein pop at the side of her head. _"That's it!" _she yelled in her mind and started shooting like crazy, not knowing how she earned herself a lot of points with her constant firing. She could hear the crowd behind them comment on her and Sasuke's shooting, how they never seemed to miss a target, and how they worked as a great pair together.

_Together…_

She blushed at the thought, not knowing how a monster had attacked her and caused her side to be in game over. She didn't heed it though, but just slowly turned her head to Sasuke's direction, eyeing him, how serious he was in dealing with the monsters, and how she somehow found herself drowning in his onyx orbs once again. _"Funny how I never see myself in Naruto's blue eyes, and yet, I don't even feel anything when I see his blue eyes-But how come whenever I stare at Sasuke, whenever he looks at me, or not, I always feel a spark that's drawing me to look into his eyes?"_ her own orbs half-closed. _"His eyes… they're attracting me… too much…"_

"Sakura?" she snapped from her thoughts when her _date _called her attention. "The game's done, come on." She stared at him then at the screen, her eyes widening when she saw his score among the top ranks. _"Among? You mean _the _number one ranking!" _she thought, eyeing his name that was on the number one list. "Shit…" she cursed, feeling her hand being pulled by someone. "Didn't know you cursed."

"I didn't know you were _that _good!"

"Now you do." He said. "Come on, it's your turn to pick a game."

Sakura grinned. "I pick DDR!" he froze and slowly turned his head to her, eye twitching. "What?" she asked, seeing as there was nothing wrong with DDR. "Seriously?" he asked back. "Yup!" she said enthusiastically and dragged him to the game, just in time as the two players were done with it. Sasuke saw the number of people gathered around to watch them, and he nearly fainted. _"I didn't mind being watched by many people a while ago because it was a game I'm used to but… this?" _he turned to Sakura as she stood next to him on her own side and swiped her card with a big grin on her face. _"I guess this is how she felt a while ago, might as well suffer too." _He sighed and swiped his own card, letting Sakura pick the kind of song that they would dance to.

"It's okay Sasuke, it's just a simple game!"

"_Easy for you to say. Stupid gender discrimination." _He cursed. _"Oh well, she did manage to do a good job a while ago, and if only she didn't die earlier in the game, she would've made it in the top ten list." _He narrowed his eyes on the screen before him as the music began. _"Maybe I can at least do a decent job here." _He thought and eyed the arrows, seeing as it wasn't too hard, until the next set caused him to have the urge to destroy the machine. _"Okay Sasuke, your reputation is at stake, don't be an embarrassment!" _he told himself when he missed a couple of arrows. He could hear some people comment about it, and he motivated himself. _"Think of this as a game tactic. Right, left, right, down, left, down, up, down and right…" _

"Whoa… he's actually good…"

"Yeah, but dig the girl! She's really swinging!"

"_My right foot will have to go for the down and right while my left will be up and left." _He instructed himself as he moved to the beat, synchronizing with Sakura as the crowd cheered them on. _"Thank God I'm ambidextrous."_

The music kept playing and it went even faster as Sasuke and Sakura followed the arrows, not seeming to miss any of them as their audience whistled at their performance. He actually found the game enjoyable, and when he stole a glance at Sakura, he would probably realize that it was a wrong move, because he got distracted, and that caused him to miss a couple of arrows. He found himself mesmerized at the sight, of how her hair swayed with her graceful and aggressive movements, and how she had a smile on her lips as she danced, sweat glistening her skin. The first stage was over, and they made it. Sakura turned to look at his performance to see his B-rank score while she had an S-rank. Sakura turned to him, seeing him stare back. "Are you okay? You were just doing a good job earlier." He smirked, and it caused some of the girls behind them to squeal. "I was just warming up." And he removed his blue jacket and handed it to a guy who offered to hold it for him. "Let stage two begin." And as if on cue, the music started playing a fast number, and the two moved to the beat, not missing even a single arrow.

* * *

"Damn it! That's the last time I'm giving that game my all!" he yelled as he pulled Sakura's hand, both of them running around the mall while a pack of fan girls and boys chased after them, yelling and proclaiming their undying love for the two of them. "Geez! They don't even know us and they're yelling they love us!" Sakura said, exasperated for the crowd running after them. "Just keep running!" he demanded. "Easy for you to say- I'm wearing heels!" she cried. Sasuke rolled his eyes and pulled her forward as she suppressed a yell when he scooped her in his arms and continued running, not minding the extra load. "S-Sasuke..?" he ignored her and ran around the mall, turning every corner to loose their newly formed fan club. 

He found an alley-type of spot in the shopping center and went in it, seeing their fans run pass them, not having a clue of how they easily got away. "That was close…" she said, feeling her breath blow her face. Blinking, she looked up, wondering why her breath fanned her and not what or who was in front of her. She blushed when she realized that it wasn't her breath that touched her face, but rather Sasuke's. They were barely an inch away from kissing, if, and only if, he turned his head to face her. Good thing he had his head turned to their fans, a frown on his face as he continued to catch his breath. _"Please don't turn here Sasuke…"_

Unfortunately, he did, after he spoke. "They're gone." He said. "We can now-" he cut himself off when he felt his lips lightly brush/touch hers. He quickly pulled away and looked elsewhere, while she continued to stare at him. "Um… we… have a movie to catch, let's go." He got out and led her to the cinemas.

As soon as they got in, Sakura immediately hugged herself as the cool air of the air conditioner blew against her bare skin. _"I knew I should've brought a jacket!" _she told herself, seeing if her date was in the same position as she was. _"Lucky him, he has a jacket…" _she thought, seeing that he was looking for a place for them to sit on. "There're two vacant seats here, come on." She gave a nod and followed him until they reached their chosen spot. She sighed and leaned back on her chair, hoping to get some warmth.

"_Next time I'm on a date, I'm not letting mom pick my clothes."_ She blinked when something blue was directly in front of her face. "Take it." She glanced at Sasuke to see his eyes focused on the theater screen, and was offering her his jacket. She smiled and took it, mumbling a 'thank you' to him to which he nodded in response.

"AH!!"

She flinched at the girl who sat next to her, inwardly glaring at her for yelling close to her ear. _"Please, it's not _that _scary." _She thought, rolling her eyes, looking away when the girl hugged her date's arm as the boy too, was hugging her back, also afraid of what just happened. _"Some boyfriend…" _she thought, turning to Sasuke to see that he had his eyes half-closed and looked like he was about to sleep. _"I guess he really is afraid of nothing…" _she thought, smiling a bit. She averted her gaze back on the screen, just in time to see the ghost girl give an eerie smile as she climbed down the ladder, head first, chasing after her ex-boyfriend who was terrified. "SHIT!" she yelled, attacking Sasuke with a tight hug as she nearly squeezed the life out of him.

"Uh… Sakura..?"

No response, she just continued to bury her face on his shirt's sleeve, her arms still around him as he blinked at her. "Sakura..?" still no answer. He sighed and turned back to the screen as it showed the guy's girlfriend enter the hospital room where her boyfriend sat on the bed, hunched over. She nearly cried at the scene, seeing how her lover was bandaged all over. The eerie part of it was when the door closed, you could see, on the window of the door, that the guy's dead ex-girlfriend was saddling his neck, sort of like a piggy-back ride, and she had her head hung low, looking at the guy, until the lights wetn on and the credits started rolling.

"Oh my god! That was so freaky!"

He looked behind him to see some of his girl schoolmates freaking out with each other. They were all wearing tight-fitting clothes, micro mini skirts and either tube top shirts or thin-strapped ones. Not to mention how high and thin their heels were, as well as the heavy make-up on their faces. He cringed at the sight and turned away when one of them looked his way. _"Please don't let them recognize me…" _he prayed. Sasuke felt a tug on his sleeve and he looked down to see Sakura's head hung low, one of her hands gripping onto his shirt. "Sakura..?"

"That… was… AWESOME!" she yelled, immediately standing up while still wearing his jacket. She had her arms up in the air and had a big grin on her face. "I mean, all the scenes were practically hilarious!" he sweat dropped. He thought the movie had a good plot but it didn't interest him that much. But still, he smiled at her reaction. _"Maybe her mom was wrong about her being a scaredy-cat." _He got up and straightened his shirt, then helped Sakura move out of the row of seats.

* * *

"Hey Sasuke, you sure seemed pretty bored during the whole film, what's up with that." 

"Oh, nothing, it's just that, I've seen scarier movies."

"Like what?"

"The Grudge would be an example. Sure it had a lame story but it sure surprised me at one point."

"WHAT?! Just once? I screamed more than thrice during that movie! That's why Ino didn't want to watch another horror film again!"

Sasuke raised a brow at this. "Well, to me, it's just a movie so I don't see how scary it can be." He shrugged nonchalantly as they headed out of the mall. "I mean, all you have to do is concentrate on how the ghost's make-up is, comment on the make-up artist and such, and you'll actually find it amusing how good some artists can be."

"Aren't you the brave one…" she mumbled.

"Not exactly, my brother taught me that, 'cause when I was a kid, my dad would always scare me at night." He grinned sheepishly and she giggled, imagining a little Sasuke running around the house and screaming for his mommy. "Mama's boy." She teased. "Oh shut it Sak." She stopped and he did as well, raising a brow as to why she halted and now had this look on her face. "What?" he asked. "Huh?" she asked back. He sighed and placed a hand on top of her head. "You are so weird…" and he ruffled her hair as she protested, glaring at him as he smirked and ran, her managing to run despite wearing heels.

"_He just gave me a nickname…" _she thought, finding themselves in the park on the playgrounds. _"Does this mean we're getting closer… than before? Close to be called… maybe… best of friends..? Or more..?"_

She managed to get her revenge when she also ruffled his hair, but he didn't seem to mind, since he just ran a hand through his hair and voila! It's fixed. "I hate you…" she muttered, sitting on one of the swings and began to move forward and back. He sat down next to her and swayed a bit. "No you don't."

"What makes you say that?" she asked, challenging him. "Well, one is you don't seem to mind my company, two, you were the one who asked me out and three," he leaned closer to her and smirked, seeing her blush. "I'm too good-looking for you to hate me."

"…" she blinked.

"Speechless huh? And that blush on your face just proves that you like me." Her face turned a deeper shade of red when he leaned close to her face, eyes shut and lips only half a centimeter apart. She shut her eyes tight and remained still, waiting for his lips to touch hers. She heard a snicker, and when she opened her eyes, she found him using the poles of the swing for support as he laughed. "I knew it! You did think I was gonna kiss you!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes and glared at Sasuke. She stood up as he turned to her and smirked, trying hard not to laugh and loose his cool. "You conceited jerk! Egoistical bastard! You-you- UGH! GAH!" she charged at him and he took this as his signal to run, laughing all the while as she yelled at him. _"Why?" _she asked herself as she caught up to him when he turned around to face her. _"Why do I feel so disappointed that you didn't kiss me?" _she tackled him as they fell on the sandy ground, her on top of him and pinning his arms down as she glared and panted, his smirk still on his face. _"Why didn't I think of Naruto when you leaned on me?" _she smirked, still panting. "I… caught… you…"

"…Yeah, it's a good thing too."

"What?" she asked, blinking in confusion as a small smile formed on his lips. _"Why am I so happy being with you, when I feel so bad around your best friend?"_

"Because if you didn't… I would've ended up falling for you."

"…Sasuke…" Her face heated up as their gazes locked. Sakura stared long and hard in his onyx orbs, half of her wishing they were azure eyes, but the other half…

"…_is thankful that they're not blue…" _her eyelids felt a bit heavy, and she found herself lowering her head to him, as if they were opposite charges that attracted each other, unlike whenever she and Naruto came in contact. _"If I were near him, we would repel, yet when I'm with Sasuke…"_

He too could feel his eyelids block his vision as he raised his head to her.

"…_we attract each other and draw ourselves closer."_

* * *

They remained silent during their way to her home. That was probably their first real kiss, since the last two ones were accidental: One being in school, and the other just a while ago when they were chased by their new fans. "Sasuke," he turned his head to her. "That… what happened earlier..? Did it… mean anything..?" she asked slowly, lowering her head when her face turned red. "I… don't know." He answered. _"I'm as clueless as you are Sakura…" _

"Oi, Uchi-Suke! You kissed me and you don't know what that meant?"

"U-Uchi-Suke?" he knitted his brows at the nickname. "And me? You were the one who leaned down."

"Yeah but did you have to raise your head?"

"Well if I laughed at you, you would've pounded me Haru-Kura."

"What the-? You have no originality!"

"Okay, I'll call you Sak then so that it'll sound like a 'sack' of potatoes."

"What? No!"

"Hey, hey! What's with the noise you two doing?"

They turned their heads up front and blinked at the weird way of talking the guy gave. He had a pair of shades on, his hair spiked up like a Mohawk, and it was… green. _"The hell?" _they both thought. The guy got off from his motorbike and approached them, his gal and guy pals behind him with their own bikes. He lowered his shades and scrutinized Sasuke. "Hey, hold up, hold up! I know 'ya! 'yer that Uchiha dude in the motocross track!"

"Motocross?" Sakura asked, glancing at Sasuke who sighed. "Yeah, I am. Why?"

"I haven't seen you in weeks there! What's up with that?"

"_At least he's speaking in normal language." _Sakura thought, listening to their conversation. Sasuke just sighed again and looked up at the night sky. "Tight schedule- didn't have enough time to go there."

"I dig," he said, shrugging. "Listen, I've been meaning to challenge you to a race, how about tonight?"

"I don't have my bike and, I still have to take her home." He said, gesturing to Sakura. "Oh, is she your girl?" They both blushed and when Sakura was about to say no, Sasuke nudged her and gave a nod. "So you better tell one of your friends to back off." He said, narrowing his eyes at one fat dude who was practically drooling at her bare legs. She shuddered in disgust and clung to Sasuke's arm. "I mean it. I won't hesitate to take him on."

"I get it okay?" the guy said, giving a warning look to the fat dude. "Chill guys, he's a member of S7."

Most of them froze, while some of the girls gave a flirtatious smile and wink at his direction. Sasuke would've puked if he didn't have self-control. "Look, I only have free time tonight, why don't you pick up your bike and take your girl along, you know, to show her what you've got. She doesn't seem to know you even race." Sasuke was about to refuse when Sakura tugged his arm. He looked at her. "I want to watch." She whispered. "But it's getting late! Your mom would kill me!"

"She won't." Sakura said, sighing and then giving a teasing smile. "She finds you too hot to murder."

"O-kay…" he said, turning back to the challenger. "Alright, I'll see you there in five minutes."

"Right, by the way, the name's Raul. That's just my fake name, I hate my real name." and he rode off, along with his companions.

"Five minutes?" she gaped at him as they jogged to his place. "Yeah, this is another fact you're going to know about me." He said when they reached his home. "I didn't know you lived this close to school." He shrugged and tossed her a helmet. "Now you do." He looked down at her bare thighs and sighed. "You wanna change into something a bit… _conservative_?"

Sakura looked down and blushed. "Depends; you have any clothes that will fit?"

"Not really, unless you're fine with my newly washed jersey, but my shorts are still in the washing machine, so you'll have to borrow some of my pants?" she nodded as they went in his house. "Wait here." He said. Sakura sat down on the couch and looked around. _"He's a pretty neat guy." _She thought, abruptly turning her head to see a black cat with blue eyes jump next to her and started to rub against her arm.

"Meow…" it purred, begging to be petted. Sakura smiled a bit and scratched its ears and chin; seeing how it enjoyed the attention she gave. "I see you've met my cat."

"I didn't know you had one."

Sasuke tossed her a white shirt and his black jersey, along with a pair of blue jeans. "It's loose but at least it will prevent any eyes turning to you." She nodded and stood up. "I'll be outside, I still need to warm-up the engine of my bike." He took his extra helmet that was black and tinted, along with his motor and house keys then left the house. She started to change into his clothes and went to a nearby mirror to check herself. _"Not bad. The jeans are a bit loose but at least they're not falling all the way down." _She looked at his blue jacket and smiled, then took it and tied it around her waist as it somehow secured her- er… _his_ pants. "That's better." She took out her black ribbon from her skirt's pocket and tied her hair in a half-ponytail style.

Sakura then headed out of the door after saying a quick goodbye to his cat that was curled up on the couch right next to her neatly folded clothes. "Hey Sasuke, is it okay if I just leave my clothes with you in the mean time?" she asked, getting on behind him and putting on the other helmet. "Sure." He answered as he readied himself to ride. "Thanks, oh, and nice bike." She commented, looking at it as it shone from the moon's light, the color of black and blue, along with a hint of silver blending with each other perfectly.

"Thanks, Kiba painted it for me."

"Kiba paints?"

"Only automobiles or motorbikes." He pushed the stand for the bike backwards and steadied it. "We've only got a minute left so hang on tight." And when he felt her arms around him tightened, he rode off of his vicinity and out on the road, going beyond the speed limit. "S-Sasuke! What if a cop catches you?"

"They won't, my bike is built for racing, so they'll recognize it and let me get away."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, now hang on." And he made a sharp right turn, evading cars up ahead of him and managing to get to the race track with twenty seconds to spare. "Nice time." Raul said, stopping his stop watch as he got up from his leaning position on his bike. "Ready to race?"

Sasuke gave a nod and led Sakura to where he supposed two certain people were. Sakura's eyes widened when she saw who the two guys were, and how they were yelling and cheering. "K-Kakashi-sensei? Sarutobi-sensei?" she gasped when the two looked at her and grinned. "Hey Sakura, I didn't know you were into motocross racing too!" Kakashi said when his two students in Konoha High approached him.

"Do I get to see your skills now Sasuke?" Sarutobi asked, smiling at the teenage boy who gave him a VIP pass for the best seats. "Yeah, some guy challenged me." He turned to Sakura. "Here, it's all yours. So whenever you want to come here, just show this pass and they'll let you in, also, no one here will even touch you." She took the ID pass he gave her and nodded. Kakashi helped Sakura on her seat, which was in between him and Sarutobi. "Take care of her sensei." Sasuke said to Kakashi. "Oh, and Sakura?"

She looked up at him when he tossed her something which she easily caught. She looked down to see that it was his necklace as an identity of being part of S7. "Keep it safe for me will you? You can wear it if you want." He smiled at her and put on his helmet, then went over to the stalls to check up on his bike.

"That guy likes you." She turned to Kakashi who had a smile on his face. "He hasn't treated any girl like that, not until now that is." Sarutobi nodded. "Maybe you two were made for each other." Sakura blushed and looked down at the dog tag necklace on her palms. Engraved on it in black bold letters were the owner's name, birthday, and above the two was the name of their gang in bold and italics.

* * *

"On your mark," the referee readied his whistle and flag. "Get set," Sasuke and Raul started their engine as the crowd cheered loud. "GO!" and they took off, their speed tied at first until Sasuke picked up the pace and rode in top speed. _"Crap! Is he crazy enough to go beyond the very speed limit of racing?" _Raul thought, speeding up as well to catch up with Sasuke. 

"Whoo! Go Sasuke!" Kakashi yelled as Sarutobi did the same. Sakura only watched, her heart beat increasing as Sasuke passed by the hurdles, obstacles and even the huge ring that was on fire. She could see Raul tailing behind, also doing a great job but having a hard time to catch up with the Uchiha. "He's fast…" she whispered to herself. _"…and good." _

The sharp twists and turns didn't seem to bother him as he focused on the track, expertly avoiding some traps that were added for a better challenge. When he was near the finish line, he could see the ramp ahead incline at one point, and he knew that he had to do a stunt that would eventually end the race. _"Alright, here goes nothing." _He rode even faster and raised the front of his bike to gain some momentum, hearing the commentator dictate his every move. He reached the inclined ramp and was now in the air, where he pulled the front of his bike backwards, making a full 360 degrees turn, then landed on the ground safely as he turned his bike to its side to screech to a halt. He removed his helmet and looked at Raul who just reached his side. "Nice race, the best one I've had in years." He commented before riding off again.

"Wow! That was fantastic!" Sakura yelled as she, Kakashi and Sarutobi got off of their seats and ran towards Sasuke. "Nice job as usual! Was that a new move? I've never seen you do that yet." Kakashi asked, patting Sasuke on the shoulder. "Not exactly, my brother did that stunt once since he said it was too dangerous. He passed on the trick to me but told me not to do it more than once."

"And did you?" Sarutobi asked. Sasuke smirked. "Why else do you think I'm part of Shinobi Seven sensei?" and he earned a ruffle on the head from the principal. "Just make sure you won't regret disobeying your brother." Sasuke nodded and turned to Sakura who was smiling. "Thanks to you, I'm suddenly interested in these things! Tell me if you ever race again okay?" Sasuke gave a nod. "Sure, you'll be the first one to know."

* * *

"Thanks Sasuke, I had fun tonight." She said, getting off of his bike as she handed him back the helmet. Sasuke removed his and smiled a bit. "Same here, thanks for asking me to come with you." She grinned as he walked her to the front door. "So, see 'ya on Monday?" she asked, finding the ground interesting to look at. "Aa. 'Night." He said, turning to leave when she grabbed his arm. He turned to her and got a kiss on the cheek. "Ja ne, Uchi-Suke!" she turned her back on him and entered her house, leaving a bewildered Sasuke behind. "Ja…" he whispered, going back to his bike and riding home. "Tenshi…" 

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 4: Facts_

"Just from the way he's so defensive about her when Naruto speaks ill of her, also from how he looks at her, it's as if… he's in love…" Ten-Ten gave a look of disbelief. "I'm serious Ten-Ten, even someone like Sasuke can feel too you know, I mean, he may look like an ice block but he's not. I've known him since 7th grade, and Naruto keeps saying that the guy's really not who he appears to be. In fact, he's all heart." He smiled a bit as he remembered their past gang fights. "He's the ideal leader or friend who wouldn't dare leave anyone behind. He'd rather die with the wounded than leave them behind."

* * *

_A/N: And now I leave you again with this chapter of IoL! I so love this story! I don't even know if I'll ever critic it someday! Tenshi, that reminds me of Snapshot.  
_


	4. Facts

**Ironies of Life**

All eyes were fixed on her as she walked down the halls, looking for a certain Uchiha. _"What class was he in again?" _she asked, stopping by Year III class C. "Right." She clutched onto the paper bag in her arms and went inside, checking to see if a teacher was there or not. "Sasuke?" she asked, looking around. Shino spotted her and turned to Sasuke who was seated right next to him. He nudged the best friend of S7's leader and gestured his head at Sakura's direction.

Sasuke raised a brow when they had eye contact. She quickly headed to him and handed him the paper bag. "I guess I forgot to change into my clothes that night, thanks for lending me yours." She smiled as he took it. "Well, gotta go! Bye Sasuke, Aburame-san!" Shino waved back as well until she left their room. "I need details my friend." Shino said, smirking when Sasuke blushed and placed his own clothes on the floor next to his bag. "Last Friday." He muttered. Shino raised a brow. "And your date had something to do with your clothes?"

"Motocross." He said. "There is no way I'm letting her go there in a skirt and sleeveless top."

"I see, getting protective of your girlfriend there?"

"I'm supposed to right? I mean, the guys in the track could…" he trailed off, just realizing what Shino had said. He glared at the laughing guy next to him. "Ha ha, very funny."

Shino just waved a hand at him and held in his laughter. "What did you lent her anyway?" he asked, trying to take a peek in his paper bag. "My jersey." And that caused their classmates to turn to them with widened eyes. "What?" he asked. "Don't you know what that means?" Shino asked. "That I'm being a good friend?"

"No! That means you actually like her more than a friend!"

"Why?"

"Sasuke, you're not supposed to let a girl wear your jersey unless you like her or are in an intimate relationship with her." Sasuke just raised a brow and Shino gave up, and then looked back at him, noticing that something was missing. "Er, Sasuke, where's your tag?" Sasuke looked down, finding no sign of his proof of being part of S7. "Oh, I also lent it to Sakura." Again, all eyes turned to him. "What?"

* * *

**_Chapter 4: Facts_**

"No chance, no way, I won't say it no, no." she sighed and put down the lyric paper that she had in her hands. _"Why did I pick music class as my extra class anyway? I could've gone for the drama class instead!" _But then she remembered that the girls there were mostly S7 fans, and she decided that music class was a good choice, she did plan on taking up Music and Arts in college. _"Besides, Sasuke's there…" _after a few minutes, she blushed. "What did I just thought?" she placed her hands on top of her head and attempted to pull her pink hair. _"Why do I keep thinking of him? Isn't it that it's Naruto who I like and not Sasuke? Gah!" _she nearly ripped the paper she had into two. "Okay, concentrate on singing." She told herself and stood up, walking back and forth as she began to sing again.

"If there's a prize for rotten judgment, I guess I've already won that." she began, reading the first few lines and then setting her paper aside as she started to get used to the tune. "No chance, no way! I won't say it no, no!" she sang, jumping on the bench and started to do her own concert. "It's too cliché, I won't say I'm in love…" she sighed, jumped down from the bench and plopped down on the grassy ground, took her bento box and began eating her lunch. "This is too embarrassing…"

"Meow."

She looked down and saw a white kitten hiding near the tree she was under. Smiling, she took a piece of her ebi tempura and urged the kitten to come and get it. The baby cat slowly walked over to the shrimp and took it shyly, nibbling on the meat as Sakura giggled when it finished and rubbed its tiny body against her bended knees. She patted it as it jumped onto her lap, causing her to set aside her lunch and pet the cat. "Where'd you come from little guy?" she asked, tickling the kitten's chin. "You're so cute." She stopped and blushed, wondering why she was talking to a cat. "Hehe… I must've looked stupid to anyone while talking to you…" she told the cat.

"I'll say."

She nearly jumped when she heard the voice come from behind her. Turning her head, she saw it was Sasuke, and there were a few other kittens following him. "I thought you've gone crazy when you began doing a concert of your own with no audience, not to mention, talking to a cat."

"You saw that?" she blushed in embarrassment when he smirked and sat down next to her, opening his own lunch box as the baby cats started running to him. "Yeah, I saw everything you did. You've got a good voice though." He commented, placing some of his fried fish on the lid of the container for the cats to eat. Sakura watched the animals and counted them: five. One orange cat continued to eat, the pale yellow one lay down and watched the grey one chase a small butterfly, and then the black one jumped on top of the bench she used as a stage earlier, while the striped on jumped on Sasuke's knee. She turned to him. While she was in a kneeling position, he had his right knee drawn near his chest, the other on the ground. His right hand played with the striped cat that was balancing itself on his knee.

He glanced at the kitten on her lap. "So that's where it went…" he said, staring at the white kitten on her lap. She looked down at it and grinned, petting it.

"I see you're fond of cats, Sasuke."

He smiled a bit. "Not only cats. I'm actually fond with almost any animal."

"Ah, another fact I get to know about Uchi-Suke." She grinned.

"Very funny." He sarcastically said while she giggled.

"Oh come on, it's a good nickname."

"Yeah, so is Sak."

"Well, okay, I'll let you call me that if you let me call you Uchi-Suke."

"Whatever," he said, looking at the striped kitten that still played with his fingers. "What're you doing here on your own anyway? Shouldn't you be with Hinata?"

Sakura shrugged and started to eat her lunch. "I wanted to practice without anyone listening. What about you? Shouldn't you be with S7?"

"I always go here after spending some time with them." He replied. "So that's why you always leave, why don't you just tell Inuzuka-san then?" she asked.

"They'll follow me."

"Tell them not to."

"Not gonna work." He looked up at the sky as the wind blew against their faces. "So, when did you start liking animals?" she asked, chewing on a piece of pork. "Since Itachi and I were taken to my grandparents' farm ten years ago."

"Oh, did you feed the chickens?" she asked, grinning and picturing Sasuke doing the job. Sasuke gave a nod. "I also helped trained the herding dog there that guarded their flock of sheep, and I mostly tended to the horses back then."

"So you know how to ride a horse?"

"Yeah, one thing that Itachi can't beat me at."

"Why? He doesn't know how to?"

"He's practically afraid to go near one."

* * *

_**Flashback:**_

"Itachi! I want you to ride a horse and start learning how to, then teach your little brother." His grandfather said, grinning. "Every Uchiha must learn how to ride."

"What for? I can ride motorcycles anyway."

"You're only thirteen years old Itachi, so might as well stick to a horse for a while. Besides, they save gas. You only have to feed and take care of them, that's it."

"Che, whatever." Itachi saddled up the horse and made sure it was secured. Next, he got on the black stallion and steadied it. "Alright squirt, watch and learn." He told the eight year old Sasuke who was seated on the grass with a German shepherd dog beside him, as well as two kittens. "Okay." He answered. Itachi kicked the sides of the horse, only he wasn't able to control his strength that it hurt the horse, causing the animal to rise on its hind legs and start running at top speed. Itachi yelled, crying for help but Sasuke thought that his brother was doing a stunt so he clapped his hands and laughed instead.

Itachi fell from the horse with a thud and groaned. Sasuke only laughed and clapped louder, cheering his brother on. "Again nii-san, again!" he yelled. Itachi glared daggers at the eight year old and carried him, then placed him on the black stallion. "You do it." He smirked. Sasuke blinked and held onto the ropes, then grinned and said "Giddiyap!" the horse just moved its head a bit to get rid of some flies that bothered it. Sasuke tilted his head to the side and remembered what his aniki did earlier. He kicked the horse on the side, only with less force since he was still a child, which caused the stallion to walk. Sasuke laughed. "This is fun!" leaving Itachi's jaw to drop on the ground as he stared at his little brother.

Their grandfather came back and saw Sasuke riding the horse with no problem. He smiled and patted the older Uchiha on the back. "Nice job in teaching your brother Itachi." The weasel only gave a nod, still staring at his brother.

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

"Aww, you're so cute!" she said, pinching his right cheek, causing him to wince and grab her hand. "Hey! That hurts you know?" 

"Yup! I did it on purpose." She grinned. He just glared at her and rubbed his starting to turn red cheek where she pinched him. "Anyway, Kurenai-sensei told us this morning that there's going to be a school fair here this Friday night," she began; closing the lid of her lunch box and watching the kittens goof around. "She also said that all students are required to help out in preparing everything. So I guess no practice until that day huh?"

"Yeah, Zabuza-sensei told me to tell the team later, but we still have one last practice for the week today." He looked up at the sky and sighed. "What's wrong?" she asked. He looked down and had a blush across his cheeks. "Well, I have this song that I'm not sure whether I'll sing it in music class or not…"

"Well, let's hear it!"

"Nah, it's not that good. Besides," he got up and pocketed his right hand, his left raised to block the sunlight from blinding his eyes when he looked up. "It's not yet finished, and I want it to be heard by everyone at the same time." He turned to her and gave a small smile. "It's only fair." Sakura blinked and returned the smile, also getting up and dusting her uniform. "Alright, I won't force you." They heard the bell ring, ending lunch period, and instantly, they took off, not wanting to be late, leaving behind the kittens to play around a bit more.

* * *

"Aw man!" 

He turned to look at her, seeing how she sighed deeply and began to clean up. He already knew why she took up cooking/baking as her extra class, but he didn't know another reason was because she was so bad at it. With a sigh, he approached her to help the girl up with the mess. "Ten-Ten, this class requires patience and perseverance you know." He said, finishing up after disposing the dirty rag he used to wipe the spilled contents of her cake's batter. "What were you planning to do anyway?"

Ten-Ten sighed again and wiped the batter that was on her left cheek. "Just some cheese cupcakes. Kurenai-sensei said it was the easiest recipe aside from cookies, which I already know how to do." She sat down on a nearby chair, watching some of their classmates do a better job, as well as steal glances at the S7 member, Hyuuga Neji. "Hm, I see." He dipped his index finger in her batter and licked it, tasting it, whether it was too sweet or lacked sweet. "It tastes alright, I guess you just made a mistake by turning on the electric beater at high level." He took the object and turned it on an average speed. "Here, you shouldn't rush things in baking or cooking."

She smiled at his help. "Thanks Neji, who would've thought that a Hyuuga like you actually has a knack in the kitchen." She giggled when his face turned red. "Aside from soccer that is, captain!" she gave him a mock salute and in return, earned a splat on the face by her cake's batter. She blinked and looked at the smirking boy before her, finding him cute in an apron and with his long hair tied to a neat ponytail, along with a bandana to keep the strands of his hair from falling onto the recipe. "By the way," he said while she wiped her face with a clean towel, afterwards, adjusting her bandana on her head. "Do you happen to know who your friend, Haruno, has a crush on?"

"I thought you knew?"

"Sasuke?"

"Um… Hinata and I are assuming that she likes Sasuke, but Ino says it's another guy."

"So it's not Sasuke huh?"

"Nope."

Neji sighed and mixed Ten-Ten's batter with a rubber spatula. "Too bad." He muttered. Ten-Ten gave him a confused look, obviously asking him silently to explain further. "I think- no, I believe that Sasuke likes her, a lot."

"What makes you say that?"

"Just from the way he's so defensive about her when Naruto speaks ill of her, also from how he looks at her, it's as if… he's in love…" Ten-Ten gave a look of disbelief. "I'm serious Ten-Ten, even someone like Sasuke can feel too you know, I mean, he may look like an ice block but he's not. I've known him since 7th grade, and Naruto keeps saying that the guy's really not who he appears to be. In fact, he's all heart." He smiled a bit as he remembered their past gang fights. "He's the ideal leader or friend who wouldn't dare leave anyone behind. He'd rather die with the wounded than leave them behind."

"Wow, Hyuuga Neji is actually saying nice things about Uchiha Sasuke." She gave a teasing grin. "I guess Sasuke's right about calling you 'Hyuu-gay'!"

"Ten-Ten!"

"Just kidding. So, anymore stories you'd like to share?"

"After what you said, forget it." And he continued to finish up as she tried to convince him, all the while being ignored as some of their classmates watched in amusement, some in weird looks. "Tell me!" Ten-Ten demanded. Neji sighed and placed her ready-to-be-baked cake in the oven. "Don't tell Sakura, but Sasuke plans to compose a song that basically tells his feelings about her."

* * *

"Ah-choo!" they both sneezed and looked at each other, afterwards, grinning and saying "Bless you", following it up with a 'jinx'. Sarutobi eyed the two as they exchanged some sort of insulting words but ended up laughing at it. He watched some more, smiling a bit at the two teens "flirting" before him in his office. He cleared his throat to catch their attention as both stopped and faced him. "Sorry to end your uh… talk, but I think I called you both here for a reason." He smiled at them as they blushed and looked down. 

"Well, as for Sasuke, I'm used to him being here, but as for you," he turned to Sakura. "I never thought you would be late for class. There goes your record of being prompt in school." She laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. "Since the school festival is two days away, your detention would be to help out until you're dismissed by any teacher in the vicinity- specifically by Morino Ibiki." He could tell how they gulped upon hearing the terror teacher's name. At least, terror next to Zabuza- now there's a teacher who has a temper you can't mess with.

Sasuke looked at the ceiling, suddenly remembering something. "Um… sensei, does this mean we can't attend practice later?" Sarutobi smirked. "Yes, you both will have to go to Kurenai-sensei after school. I will talk to your coach about it."

"He is not going to be happy about that…" the Uchiha said.

* * *

Sakura closed her locker door shut and was about to leave since she still had detention when she stopped upon hearing music coming from the music room. She faced the door and hesitated to open it. Sighing, she grabbed the knob and slowly opened it, taking a peek on who was playing the piano. Her eyes widened when she saw Sasuke sitting on the piano chair and playing the keys. His eyes were half-closed as he carefully but fluently moved his fingers on the right key notes. 

"_Wow, he's good." _She closed her eyes and listened to the music as he continued to play, slowly closing his eyes as he got into the music, memorizing each key that was needed to be played. "It's Eyes on me." He spoke, causing her to nearly drop her books as she opened her eyes and looked at him. He was still playing as he spoke. "You can sit down here if you want."

"A-ah…" she walked in and sat down beside him after he gave her space, all the while playing the song. When he finished, he shifted to another one, and this time, Sakura knew this song very well. "You are always gonna be my love, itsu ka, dare ka to mata koi ni ochite mo. I'll remember to love, you taught me how…" he smiled as he played and she sang, both forming a good team and performing their parts at the right time.

When they were nearing the end, he was stunned when she got the high note right, and her voice didn't even crack. When she finished the last lines, he too, ended the song as both remained silent for a while, letting the moment pass. "You're the first person I know who can sing that song and reach the high note." Sakura blushed when he looked and smiled at her. "Hey, Utada Hikaru reached the high note." She countered.

He laughed a bit. "Yeah, but she's the singer. What I meant was someone who can sing it too."

"I bet the other sopranos in music class can."

"True," he said, lowering the lid that covered the keys on the piano. "But they don't have a good voice like you do." She looked down and blushed, a small smile on her lips as he stared at her with his own smile, one that he only showed to her. "I'm not kidding Sak," he said again. "Sure their voices are good, but not as good as yours." She knew he was sincere in his words; she just can't help but wish that somehow, Naruto would say those same lines. "Thank you…" she whispered, and he was glad that he was somehow able to keep her happy.

"Didn't I tell you two to report to Kurenai-sensei as soon as classes are over?"

They snapped their heads to the door's direction, seeing Sarutobi smirking at them with his arms crossed. The two blushed and stood up, bowing a bit to show their respects as he told them to follow him. He looked behind him from time to time, seeing the two steal glances at each other, then stop once their eyes meet, afterwards, blush in realization of being caught and look away. _"I'll have to ask Kakashi to do these two a favor and give them a little push." _Actually, he saw Sakura enter the music room and discreetly listened to them. The moment was just too rare and sweet that he did not bother to disturb them, until he realized the time and until they stopped exchanging words.

They reached their destination of where the fair will be held in the compound, and Sarutobi instantly led them to where Kurenai is. "Now then, I still have to go inform Zabuza about the two of you missing practice. Just head over to Kurenai, she's expecting you." He gave them a light push and then walked over to the gym. Both teens braced themselves for Zabuza's reaction.

"_We're dead…" _they both thought.

* * *

"WHAT?!"

Kurenai looked up from her clipboard when she heard Zabuza's voice echo throughout the whole vicinity. She turned to the two students who were assigned to her. "I'm guessing he is mad that you two aren't there…" Sasuke and Sakura gave a sigh and a nod as Kurenai laughed. "Well, it's not like Sasuke needs to practice anyway, and Hinata's there to take care of the team's records, so I don't see the problem." Sakura turned to Sasuke and giggled. "You see sensei, the whole team barely listens to Zabuza-sensei, so he sort of uses Sasuke to control the team."

"Why is that?"

"He can't hit a student, but I can." Sasuke answered, noticing Kurenai's stern look. "Not in a way that requires punching, you know, just throw a ball at them or threaten and- you get it." The crimson eyed teacher sighed and waved the topic off. "Anyway, the two of you will be partners since both of you got detention for the same reason and at the same time. Sakura, you're in charge of hanging up the decorations while you, Sasuke, will be in charge in setting up some of the stalls. You're part of S7, so those heavy things shouldn't be a problem, right?" she pointed at some small metal poles nearby as the two teens stared at it, a drop of sweat rolling down at the back of their heads.

"I… guess…"

"Good, now get to work you two."

* * *

"Are you sure you can carry those by yourself?" she asked, concern and worry written all over her face. Sasuke didn't respond for a while before grinning sheepishly. "I guess I could, I mean, we've had gang fights a lot of times and there was one time I had to carry a really big guy to get him off of Naruto." At the mention of his best friend's name, he noticed Sakura frown and lower her head. He scowled at this and furrowed his brows as he tried to figure out a way to cheer her up. "Gee Sakura, I'm hurt." She blinked and looked up at him questioningly as he unbuttoned his gakuran top and discarded it, leaving him in his white shirt and pants. "You actually think I'm that _weak_?" he grinned. 

She managed to give a smile at his attempt to raise her spirits a bit. "Thanks Sasuke." She said and removed her top as well, also wearing a white short-sleeved shirt. "Don't mention it." He winked at her before carrying a few poles and walking over to where the booth should be assembled. Sakura watched him for a while, recalling the date they had a few days ago before jogging towards him to give him a hand, both unaware that she still had his S7 tag around her neck.

"Looks like we'll be needing some tools here." Sasuke voiced out his thoughts when he eyed the poles and screws, as well as the metal plane that will be used for the roof of the booth. Sakura nodded in agreement when she saw the things that were on the ground. "Maybe we can ask Kurenai-sensei-"

"I've got your tools right here kids!"

They both turned around to see Kakashi holding a toolbox and handing it to Sasuke. "Thanks sensei." He said, taking it from his homeroom and history teacher. Kakashi gave a smile behind the mask that he wore to prevent smoke or dust from entering his nostrils and mouth. "And if ever you need any medical treatment, here." He took a pouch from his pants' back pocket and tossed it to Sakura. "I'll be around if you need me, and Kurenai's there too." And he left the two teens to get to work.

"Right," Sakura said, putting down the pouch. "I'll help you out before I hang the decorations. I won't be able to decorate the booth without it being assembled right?" he smiled and gave a nod as they both got to work, her assisting him by handing out what he needed as he connected the metal poles and plane together. "Phew." Sasuke wiped the sweat on his forehead with his arm and knelt down to finish securing the screws and poles together. He blinked when another bead of sweat reached his eyelashes then to his eyes, causing him to stop what he was doing to get rid of it.

"Let me get that." He heard his companion say. Sakura took out her hanky and wiped his brow with it, giving him a sweet smile afterwards to which he returned with a smirk. "Thanks." And he returned to tightening the screws. Sakura took a chair and picked up the strips of colored foil as she began to tape them onto the booth's roof. Unfortunately for her though, a gust of wind blew towards their direction, causing the strips to fly away. She attempted to grab them, but another gust blew, causing her skirt to go up a bit higher to reveal her thighs, as well as a bit of her underwear. She blushed and tried to hold her skirt down to prevent perverts from seeing her underwear. And to her misfortune, she lost her balance and had to shut her eyes and yell as she braced herself for the impact. However…

"Are you okay?"

…She landed in a pair of strong arms.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes to see onyx orbs staring back at her; worry was evident on his face. She didn't respond though, as he sighed and looked back at her. "Be careful next time, okay?" Sakura gave a nod and finally realized the position they were in. He was standing up, but had her in his arms, carrying her like they were a couple of newly weds. Besides that, her arms were wrapped around his neck, and their faces were only a few inches apart, not to mention how their eyes gazed into the other, letting themselves drown in the pool of onyx and emerald.

_Click! Flash!_

Blinking, they averted their gazes to the side, seeing none other than Kakashi lowering his camera and grinning at them. Or so they assumed. "Ladies and gentlemen, presenting our first couple in the wedding booth!" the two teens were confused as they exchanged looks and then raised their heads when Kakashi pointed above them. There, in big, bold and capital letters were the words painted in red: **WEDDING BOOTH**. And they were inside the unfinished stall.

Blush.

"S-Sasuke..? P-please put me down…"

He willingly did, making sure that she was alright before turning back to his job, her doing the same. Both were completely avoiding eye contact or even steal glances. It was as if they were complete and total strangers. Kakashi just chuckled at this and left them, making sure to show this to his fellow teachers.

* * *

"Tsk. Teme never got detention before, so why start now?" Naruto asked as he and his gang, minus Sasuke, walked over to the school's large yard, seeing some volunteer students fix stalls, after stalls, after stalls. "Maybe Sarutobi-sensei thought that he's already been given too much chances." Neji said, looking around for any sign of his chicken-haired friend. "Could be." Kiba said, shrugging. "Found him." Shino said, looking at where Sasuke was. "And it looks like we're just in time for his wedding." They all looked at him, question marks popping on top of their heads and followed his gaze. Almost everyone laughed at the scene, seeing as Sakura fell and Sasuke stopped what he was doing to catch her. The first thing they took notice was the sign and what booth they were in. If this amused them, it just angered Naruto. 

"Yo Sasuke! Why didn't you invite us?" Shikamaru yelled when the two teens had parted and avoided eye contact. Sasuke blushed upon hearing the voice and knowing very well what his friend meant. "Shut up lazy-ass!" he yelled, his face still red. Sakura didn't bother to turn and continued hanging up the decorations, wishing that the wind wouldn't blow. _"Great, I'm surrounded by boys and most of them could be perverts. What's worse is… Naruto's here." _

Speaking of the blonde, he was eyeing Sakura. "So you're the reason why Sasuke got detention?" she stopped, fighting the urge to yell at her crush and continued hanging up the decorations. Sasuke came to her defense immediately. "Hey, chill dead-last, we were both late, it wasn't her fault that we didn't hear the bell." He stopped. _"Actually, we did hear the bell, just didn't make it."_

Naruto snorted. "Right, you left us after eating to spend some time with her?" he smirked. "I can't believe you'd stoop so low to have her as your girlfriend. I mean, those cheerleaders would be a better choice than her you know." Sasuke clenched his fists, sensing Sakura's tensed shoulders and how she was shaking a bit. _"She's about to cry…" _he thought and turned to Naruto with a glare. "Don't make me hit you Naruto."

He was serious. He never called Naruto by his first or last name unless he was dead serious. And somehow, Naruto was oblivious to this. "So I guess she is your girlfriend, why else would you be so defensive on someone you never noticed until that accidental kiss?" he never did heeded warnings, and now he just got punched by his best friend. "You want another one?" Sasuke asked while being stopped by Shino and Neji. His glare was enough to scare even the Hyuuga who was supposedly equal to him.

"Teme, what the fuck is your problem anyway? Why the hell are you getting riled up whenever it has something to do with Haruno?"

"You tell me! Why the hell are you so angry at her that you'll go as far as humiliating her in front of a lot of people? And why did you tell her class about me treating her wound in the clinic? Did they need to know? And that accidental kiss, why did you have to inform the whole school about it? You already know that the stupid bimbos here can jump to stupid conclusions. Are you trying to kill her?"

Sakura shuddered at the thought. She didn't like where this was going, neither did the rest of S7. Naruto wiped the blood that trickled down from his lip, his eyes glaring back at Sasuke. "I'm splitting you two apart." He said. "What for Naruto? We're just friends!" somehow, he couldn't tell why he felt pain upon saying those words, and Sakura was confused as to why she was disappointed on what he said. "Just because I spend time with her doesn't mean that she's my girlfriend. You're as worse as Ayaka and her bitches, you all jump to conclusions!"

"Why you-"

"Stop it! Just stop it already!"

S7 turned to look at Sakura, all shocked that she managed to yell and still compose herself after what was said. "Just stop fighting…" she whispered, still not looking at them. "You're a team right..? You're friends, you shouldn't be fighting over something as stupid as… this…" she turned to Sasuke, a small smile on her lips. It pained him though, whenever he saw her sad and in tears. "Thanks for coming to my aid Sasuke, but I don't think I'll forgive myself if I'm the cause of you and Uzumaki-san fighting." She looked down to avoid their gazes. "You guys always tell the people you know in this school how you win every gang fight, and I know that it's not because all of you are strong, but because of your teamwork and bonds as close friends." She turned to Naruto. "And besides, even if you're Sasuke's best friend, you still don't have the right to tell him what to do or deprive him from what he wants to do."

He doesn't take defeat seriously. And Naruto just knew he was defeated by this girl with just words. He narrowed his eyes at her, and Sasuke knew this was the time to split. "Sakura, come on, Kurenai-sensei said that we have to report to her once we're done." He gave her a knowing look, and she nodded and jumped down from the chair as he grabbed her hand and led her to where her homeroom teacher was.

* * *

"I can't believe you said that!" he said, laughing a bit as he recalled Naruto's face. Sakura blinked and looked up at him in surprise. A while ago, he was in a pissed off mood and now, he was laughing? She looked down, seeing his hand on hers, and she was tempted to intertwine their fingers together. "Ne, what're you planning to tell sensei?" Sasuke found Kurenai and turned to Sakura a bit. "I'll tell her what happened, I'm sure she can let us off early. We can make up for it tomorrow." She nodded and let him explain everything to the teacher. Kurenai was shocked and asked them if they were okay or if there was going to be chaos but he just waved it off and said that everything will return to normal tomorrow. 

"Are you sure about that?" she asked, not clearly convinced with the Uchiha's explanation. Sasuke nodded and Kurenai sighed and dismissed them early, telling them that she'll inform Sarutobi. He nodded his thanks and led Sakura out of the compound.

"Hey, Sasuke, why do you bother to walk me home when yours is nearer?"

He blushed and looked away, trying hard not to stammer as he thought of what he could say. "I… feel like walking around…" he said. "It gets boring at home sometimes." Sakura gave a nod. "What about your cat, Ame?" he shrugged. "I trained him to get his own food on his own, in case I go home later than usual."

"Smart cat."

He smirked. "No duh, his master is smart." He earned a punch on the arm from Sakura as they laughed and continued walking. "I'm just wondering, why did you name him Ame?" Sasuke thought about it for a while, recalling the first time he saw his cat. "I found him by my doorstep during a heavy storm. He was soaking wet, and he was only a kitten, so I took him in until he was back to his normal self."

"Animal lover." She grinned. "So I've heard." He answered back and stopped when they reached her home. "Thanks for walking me home." She bowed down a bit as he gave a nod. "Sure, anytime." When he was about to leave, she pulled his hand and caused him to turn to her, only to have her lips touch his cheek. "Thanks for everything." And she turned around, giggling when she made Sasuke blush and gape at her retreating back.

"_Ask her!" _he told himself as he took a step forward and opened his mouth. "Sakura!"

She stopped and turned around to face him. At that moment, he watched her hair sway with her movements, and he felt like he just lost his voice. _"Damn it. Why is she making me feel this way?" _she tilted her head a bit. "What is it?" she asked. "I…" he trailed off, sighing and shaking his head. "Never mind, I'll see you tomorrow." And he left, slapping himself mentally for chickening out. Sakura stared at him, wondering what it was that he was planning to say. _"He said 'I'… maybe… does he..?"_

* * *

The morning air was refreshing as she jogged for one more round. _"Time sure flies so fast…" _she thought, recalling the past two days where she and Sasuke helped prepare for the festival. _"At least there's no school today in preparation for tonight." _She thought, sighing as she thought of a few things. Hinata just told her that Naruto asked her to accompany him during the festival, and Ten-Ten has been flooding her email with "Neji asked me to go with him" messages. Not to mention Ino kept calling her at home, leaving messages like "I managed to force Shikamaru to take me". She sighed again. _"Even if it's not Naruto, I just wish someone would ask me to go-"_

"Head's up!"

She turned her head to the right while still running, only to have her face be greeted by an orange ball. Gasps were heard as she fell to the ground and had her nose bleed, letting what just happened to register in her head. "Sorry 'bout that!" she looked up to see a little boy before her with a look of worry and fear etched on his face. "I didn't mean to pass the ball too hard." Sakura gave him a small smile and got up, assuring him that she was fine.

"Ryuusei, how many times do I have to tell you to be careful?"

Sakura stopped dusting herself and faced the owner of the voice she was so familiar with. "S-Sasuke..?" she asked. He gave her a smile. "Hey tenshi." She blinked and blushed. _"T-Tenshi..?" _his smile turned to a frown when he saw her nose bleeding. "Man, that has got to hurt." He commented, taking her hand in his and pulling her with him in the outdoor court near the park. "Come on Ryuusei, your friends are waiting." The boy nodded and ran after them after picking up the ball.

"Ne, nii-chan, is she the girl you were talking about?" Ryuusei asked innocently. Sasuke blushed and gave the boy a knowing look while Sakura looked at Sasuke with questioning eyes. "Later." He mouthed when they reached the basketball court. He made her sit down on a bench beside some other kids. "Hey, Konohamaru, hand me the first aid kit." Another boy came from behind Sasuke, handing the MVP of Konoha High the kit he asked for. "Nii-chan, who's she?"

"Oh, right." He treated Sakura's nose bleed first before putting the whistle around his neck in his mouth and blew on it, calling all the kids' attention. "Okay guys," a few girls cleared their throats. Sasuke grinned sheepishly. "And girls, this is Haruno Sakura, the team manager in my team."

Some blinked while the girls giggled and some boys grinned slyly. Sakura just cocked her head to the side a bit. "Nii-chan, is she the girl you were talking about?" Sasuke blushed again. "W-what..?" he asked. A girl raised her hand to catch everyone's attention. "You always talk about her nii-chan! You said she was really-"

"Okay! That's enough! You guys woke me up so early just for me to teach you, not get interrogated." He turned to Sakura with a wink and then took the ball from Ryuusei. "Alright I want to see how you've improve!" they all ran back to the court and began to play basketball. "Kishiro, pass the ball to Ryuusei or Imai!" he instructed, oblivious to Sakura's stare. "Hey, hey! That's foul Konohamaru!" he yelled and jogged over to Kishiro who was on the ground with his knee wounded. Sasuke noted that the boy was fighting the urge to cry, because it sure looked like it hurt for a kid to bear. "Alright Akiyo, switch with Kishiro!" he instructed and carried the injured boy like a father would to his son.

Sakura looked at Sasuke as he walked over to them, and she smiled, picturing him with his own child, and probably coming to her, as his wife- _"WHAT THE HELL?!" _she thought, getting rid of the image in her head. She earned a questioning look from Sasuke as she stuck her tongue out and grinned sheepishly.

* * *

"Ne, you sure have a way with kids." She said when they walked the kids back home one by one until one was left- none other than Kishiro, who was on Sasuke's back, fast asleep. "Sort of." He said. "I mean, they look up to me because they love basketball, and they've seen me create my own moves." 

"Like the fake and fade," she began counting. "The stop and shoot, confuse and run, and the rarely used and hard to do move: Back jump, twist lay-up shot." Sasuke smiled a bit. "You memorized my moves?" she nodded. "You've been teaching me two of those you know. Specifically the fake and fade, as well as the confuse and run- which is hard to master."

"You'll get it," he said, walking ahead upon seeing Kishiro's house. "Eventually." He added, grinning as Sakura raised a fist, ready to hit him with it. "You're such a big meanie!" Kishiro stirred a bit and opened his eyes. "Nii-chan..?" Sasuke turned his head and gave the kid a small smile. "Hey kiddo, you up already?" the boy nodded and rubbed one of his eyes with one hand. "Well, hang on, we're almost near your house." He nodded and looked ahead to see his mother tending to the garden. "Mom!" he yelled, catching the attention of the woman in her late thirties. "Kishi-chan, what happened to your knee?" Sasuke put him down for the woman to hug the child. "Oh, this is nothing!" he grinned. "Sasuke- niichan bandaged it for me."

"I see," she said, looking up at the teen with a smile. "Thank you for taking care of him Sasuke."

"No problem, he's like a little brother to me anyway." He ruffled the kid's hair as the boy laughed. Sakura watched a few feet away, smiling at the scene before her. Kishiro's mom noticed her and smiled. "I see you've got yourself a girlfriend Sasuke, and she's really pretty too." The two teens blushed at the comment as Sasuke laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Um… no, she's just my friend." Sakura nodded in support of his answer.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought that-"

"It's okay ma'am," Sakura said, giving a slight bow of respect. "A lot of people have already thought of us as a couple."

"Yes, it's hard to believe that you two aren't actually, not with Kishiro here telling me what Sasuke says about a girl with pink hair. Are you Sakura?"

"Yes ma'am," she glanced at Sasuke who was looking away from her with a blush on his cheeks. "I'd like to know what he says about me." She said, giving Sasuke a mock glare. "Maybe some other time Sakura…" Sasuke said, laughing nervously as he turned her around by her shoulders. "We have to go now; I still have to talk to her about something… important."

Kishiro beamed. "Are you gonna ask her to be your girlfriend like you said?"

"Kishiro!" Sasuke yelled, his face going beyond red as Sakura raised a brow at him. "Oh really?" he gave a knowing look to Kishiro who sulked behind his laughing mother. "Have fun you two." The older woman said, waving.

* * *

"Kids these days…" Sasuke muttered as they walk down the street to who knows where. "So, what do you tell them about me?" she asked slyly. "None of your business." She giggled. "Aw, Sasu-_chan _likes me!" again, he turned beet red and glared at her. "Knock it off Sakura!" she laughed and started running, all the while announcing to the whole world: "Uchiha Sasuke likes Haruno Sakura!" and with Sasuke shouting protests as the people they passed by sweat dropped at the two teens. "Sakura, it's not funny!" he yelled, gaining on her when she went down the stairs leading to the beach. "I bet you do like me! That explains why you're so defensive when it comes to me!" 

"You're my friend! I'm supposed to care!"

"Riiight..! And during our date you kissed me because I'm your _friend_!"

"I didn't kiss you! You're the one who kissed me!"

"Yeah, but you returned it!"

"You started it!"

"But you still returned it!" She laughed and splashed sea water at him when he tried to grab her. "I knew it! You do like me!" she stopped splashing him but continued laughing, even when he had tackled her to the shore, getting both of them wet. "It's not what you think!" he said. "Oh come on, why don't you just admit it?" she grinned, not noting the look that was on his face. He had his eyes half-closed and had them averted from her eyes. "Why..?" he asked his voice barely above a whisper. "Would you return the same feelings?"

The used to be cheerful mood turned down a bit when she looked into his eyes. They were a bit distant than usual, and he was avoiding eye contact with her. "Sasuke… you… are… serious…" she whispered. He turned to her and this time, she avoided his eyes. _"What should I say..? I don't want to hurt his feelings…" _her ears picked up the sound of snickering, and when she looked up, she saw a laughing Sasuke. He got up but ended up falling on his rear from too much laughing. She sat up and blinked, eyeing him carefully.

"I can't believe you fell for that!" he said, splashing her with water. Sakura recovered from her state of shock and splashed back. "Hey! That was mean!" and they laughed, still splashing water on each other. _"That was close…" _she thought. _"But… somehow, I feel like… I wish he was serious…"_

* * *

"My mom will not be happy about this…" she muttered, looking down at her wet clothes as they walked around the beach. Sasuke was busy skipping rocks to even bother about his clothes. "Are you listening..?" she asked. "Nope." He joked. "Why you-" she attempted to push him but he steadied the two of them and remained standing. "Hey, it's enough you got my rubber shoes wet! Do you have any idea how much these cost?" she looked down and saw that his shoes were indeed soaking wet. "Sorry…" she blushed in embarrassment. "That's okay." He looked at her, seeing that her shirt looked see-through because it was wet. He looked away, confusing her when his face turned red. "Your… um… shirt…" she looked down and blushed, attempting to cover herself from anyone who was around.

"_Shit. What am I gonna do? If I go home like this, mom would flip!" _

He studied her expression, from the looks of it, she was panicking inwardly. _"I guess Itachi's right, reading those psychology textbooks in advance actually helps." _He looked down on his own shirt and sighed, then started to remove his black shirt. She snapped from her thoughts to see him topless. "W-what are you doing?!" she stammered. _"Oh no! Don't tell me he's… he's gonna-" _he handed her his shirt. "Put it on."

"W-what?! It's also wet so…"

"At least it will cover your…" he cleared his throat, eyes averted elsewhere and face still red. "Just put it on." She looked at him then at his shirt as a smile and a blush adorned her face. "Thank you…" she whispered, slowly slipping the shirt on. "Come on, let's get you home before you catch a cold."

"I'll catch a cold? That should be you!" she said, worry all over her face now that she just realized that he was wet and topless, and that the wind might cause him a flu. "This is nothing." He said, waving it off. "Now come on."

"But what if your fans…"

"Don't worry." And he led the way back to her house. Sakura knocked on the door as Kasumi came out and was shocked to see the two dripping wet and with Sasuke being shirtless. "What happened to you two? Don't just stand there, come in!" she ushered the two in and sighed. "Sakura, go up stairs and change, Sasuke, I think my husband's clothes will fit on you." She followed Sakura upstairs and came back down with a shirt and a pair of pants. "Here, the bathroom's upstairs. You can change into these and I'll hang your clothes for them to dry."

"Aa, thank you ma'am."

"I told you, call me 'ka-chan' Sasuke!" she grinned. Sasuke sweat dropped and just gave a nod before going upstairs to change. _"If Sakura's mom didn't have pink hair, I would've thought of her as my own mom."_

* * *

Awkward silence fell upon them as they avoided each other's gazes. Kasumi only looked at the two teens who sat adjacent to her and beside the other. "Um… so, did you two eat yet?" they both shook their heads and she sighed. "You two haven't eaten lunch and decided to play around in the beach first? Kids." She rolled her eyes at this and went to the kitchen. "I'll just whip something up for the two of you."

Again, silence invaded them. "Are… you going to the festival tonight?" she asked. He gave a nod. "With whom?" he shrugged and turned to her. "Are you going..?" she shrugged as well. "No one has asked me yet. And it annoys me to no end when Ino flooded our answering machine with messages of her being able to force Shikamaru to take her, and Ten-Ten sending me emails regarding Neji asking her to go with him."

He laughed a bit. "Well, Neji did the same thing Ten-Ten did, and Shikamaru did the same thing Yamanaka did; only he said it was too troublesome. And Naruto, well, he flooded my email, my cell phone, answering machine and other ways of communicating." She giggled. "Looks like we suffered the same fate huh?" he nodded and they fell silent for a while. "Hey, Sakura, I was wondering if-"

"Come on you two and eat up!" Kasumi called from the kitchen, interrupting Sasuke from what he was going to say. "Coming." Sakura said, sighing. "I guess you can tell me later." She said, smiling a bit and led him to the kitchen where they ate. "So, I heard that there's going to be a festival in your school tonight," Kasumi began, sitting beside Sakura who sat across Sasuke. "Who are you taking there Sasuke?" the boy looked up from his plate. "Um… I haven't asked anyone yet." Kasumi's eyes lit up. "That's great! Sakura doesn't have an escort either! Why don't you two go together instead! I think it's a great idea, don't you?" she asked, smiling. They nodded none the less.

"See you later then!" Sakura waved as Sasuke left her house. She then turned to her mom who was giggling. "Come on now Sakura, let's prepare you for tonight's event!" she pushed her daughter to her room and began to scan the girl's closet. "Mom, what ever happened to the "no boys" rule?" Kasumi smiled at her when she took out a pair of jeans and a spaghetti strapped shirt at the color of baby blue. "Well, I changed my mind!" she chirped. Sakura gaped and raised a brow in question. "Sasuke's charm just about sums it up! Besides that, he lent you his shirt, leaving him topless and even walked you here to make sure no one would touch you!"

"Mom, any guy with manners would do that."

"No Sakura, not just any guy would. Now, go take a shower for your date tonight."

"It's not a date! We're just friends, mom!"

"Still, he's a boy and you're a girl, it's still a date!"

Sakura sighed in defeat and walked over to her bathroom to take a shower. Who knew that overprotective mothers would act like this? "Fine, fine. You win." She mumbled and closed the bathroom door behind her, rolling her eyes afterwards as she heard Kasumi mutter something while rummaging through her dresser.

* * *

"Hey Ame, I'm home." He called out after opening the front door of his small home and locking it behind him. He bent down when his pet cat ran to him and started rubbing its body against his leg. He smiled and scratched its ear, earning a satisfied purr from the cat. "Welcome home little brother." Sasuke looked up from his cat and saw his brother, Itachi, seated on his couch, reading a book. "Nii-san..?" he asked, curious as to why his brother would visit him today. Itachi closed his book and gave his younger brother a small smile. "I thought I'd put the spare key you gave me to good use." He said, fingering the object in his free hand. "By the way, mom wants answers." 

"Huh?" as soon as he gave a questioning look to Itachi, his mother came waltzing in from the kitchen with narrowed eyes. "Sasuke, who was that girl you're with and why were you topless before her..? Don't you know that that's rude?" Her son blinked. "Er… that was my friend; I lent her my shirt because hers was wet and almost see-through. You call preventing men from seeing a woman's… undergarments rude..?" Mikoto blinked and gave him a stern look. "Still, there were other ways to do to protect your… _friend_." From the tone of her voice, Sasuke thought that his own mom, who favored him compared to Itachi, did not believe that Sakura was and is his friend. "Okay, can you give me one good example?" Itachi snickered at his brother's comeback as Mikoto thought for a while, not having any luck as to how to answer the retort.

Sasuke sighed and made his way to the stairs. "Oh, wait a minute! I heard your school will be having a festival tonight!" Mikoto said, snapping her fingers upon remembering the event. Sasuke stopped halfway from reaching his room and turned his head to his mom. "Yeah, why?" she grinned. "Aren't you taking anyone?" Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed again, making his way back up. "I already have someone to escort, her name's Sakura." Mikoto blinked and turned to Itachi who made a wild guess. "Probably that pink-haired girl we saw with him on our way here."

"Oh."

* * *

"Not a bad job…" he said when he entered the school's compound and met up with Sakura. She turned to look at Sasuke, seeing him in a black shirt and dark blue jeans. A navy blue messenger bag was slung on his right shoulder, and she wondered why he had it. "I'm gonna train later." He said, shrugging as they walked around. "So, what do you want to do?" he asked. Sakura shrugged and looked at all the booths. "We can play or something." She suggested, stopping at one stall and read the mechanics that was near the booth. "Hmm… a dart game…" she murmured. "Looks pretty easy but seems hard to do." 

Sasuke took out some money and paid the owner of the booth. "Might as well see." He said, taking the five darts the man offered. He gave one to Sakura and took one for himself as he made the first shot, popping one balloon easily. Sakura did the same and also managed to pop one. They did this until they reached the fifth dart. He told her that she can have the last shot and she smiled and threw the dart towards a balloon, causing it to pop. "Pick a prize!" the man said, pointing to the items he had displayed. The couple eyed the objects, not sure what to take. "You pick, you paid for it." She whispered, looking down a bit. Sasuke blinked and eyed her, just noticing now that she had a pair of silver dangling earrings on that had a sapphire gem at the end of each.

"You sure?"

She nodded. Sasuke thought for a while and saw some baller bands with different colors. "I'll have those." The man took it and handed the bands to Sasuke. Sakura raised a brow. "That's a lot." He grinned. "Well, I've got a lot of kids to teach in the morning." She smiled, getting what he said. _"Right, he plans to give it to Kishiro and the others."_

"You want some?" he asked, holding up the bands. Sakura smiled and shook her head as she walked ahead of him, only to have her right wrist get caught in his left hand. She turned around to see him slip on a pink and white one on her wrist. "I know you want it." He said, letting her hand go as he began to walk as well. Sakura smiled a bit and ran up to catch him as they started to play in more booths. At times, they would stop by and nibble on something to keep their stomachs from growling. Until…

"I finally found the two of you!"

They turned to see Kakashi grinning at them as he expertly handcuffed their wrists together. Sasuke's left hand secured to Sakura's right. They stared at the cuffs then at Kakashi and finally realized what the guy did. "Sensei!" they both yelled. Kakashi chuckled and pushed them towards a booth full of different colored kimonos. Sakura saw Neji and Ten-Ten looking at the clothes then at them upon hearing Sasuke curse Kakashi who answered the Uchiha's questions carefully and slyly. "Finally, the first couple is here." Ten-Ten said with a grin. "Kakashi-sensei said that we can't get married for a day until the first couple that they had on the list is married."

"W-what?!" Sakura asked, blushing madly. "What makes you say that we're a couple?!"

Kakashi smiled and made them enter the Wedding Booth where Asuma stood, a camcorder in his hand and beside him was Kurenai with a camera. Next to her was Gai in a priest robe and Zabuza was there too, a smirk on his face. Sakura also saw Lee standing next to Gai and he was dressed up as an altar boy or something. "What the hell is going on here Kakashi-sensei?" She asked. Kakashi was too busy talking to an angry Sasuke to answer her, so Kurenai took the liberty of answering Sakura. "Well, Kakashi took a picture of you and Sasuke a few days ago. Although it was an accident, he insisted that we give you two the honor of getting married for the night first."

"Why us?" Sasuke asked, his voice sounding cold and angry. Kakashi just grinned mischievously. "I find the two of you easy to annoy." He lied. "Now, put some robes on." He said, ushering the two deeper into the tent. Sakura was given a white kimono with a red obi/sash, and some pink cherry petals scattered on the lower part of the dress. Zabuza threw a white yukata to Sasuke who gave a "you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me" look at his coach who continued smirking. They didn't make a move to put it on though, and it was not only because they didn't want to, but because they couldn't, since their hands were bound by shackles. "Oops." Kakashi said, taking a key out of his pocket to release the two from the chains. "There we go! Now put those garments on!" The two sighed and remained standing still, thinking whether they should or not.

Sasuke stiffened when he felt Zabuza's presence behind him, and not to mention, he had a deadly looking sword placed near the teen's throat, ready to slice and taste his blood. "Um… coach, what're you doing..?" he asked, hoping his voice didn't sound too shaky. "Put that yukata on Uchiha." He ordered. Sasuke stared at the blade that was ready to slice his head off. "Is that thing even real?" Zabuza's smirk broadened. "Real as Gaara wants you to go down on your next game." Sasuke remained impassive. "I don't think you have enough guts to kill me though."

"How sure are you?"

"You need me to win the next game against Sand. It may be weeks from now, but no one, not even Lee, can match up to Gaara's skills and defenses besides me. You said so yourself."

"And what if I find a replacement?"

"Like who?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "For me to believe you, that's why."

"But you don't need to know since you're going to die if you don't put that on!"

"Right, you can't kill me. You're a teacher, I'm a student. Kill me, and you go to jail."

"I have a rich friend who can bail me."

"And I have what you need for the championships."

"We could do this all night Uchiha."

"You're on coach."

"Damn it." Zabuza cursed. "If you don't put that on then you might as well say goodbye to your position as team captain."

"And..?" Sasuke seemed bored.

"I'll give the position to Naruto. You do know what the outcome will be."

Sasuke pictured the scene, and it just made him shudder at the possibilities of having ramen during break time, drinking ramen soup instead of water, doing lesser laps than what he or Zabuza gives, bad game plays, and worst of all, embarrassing the team during a real game. "…fine." He finally said and slipped on the white clothing. Sakura, on the other hand, thought about it at first before putting on the kimono over her civilian clothes. Kurenai assisted her with the obi and told Zabuza to stand aside as she took a picture of the blushing teens.

Kakashi handcuffed them together again as Sasuke felt the cold metal wrap around his left wrist, where his black and blue baller bands were. "Now then, for the ceremony." He chirped, stepping away to make room for "Father" Gai. "We are gathered here today, to-"

"Cut the crap…" the two teens muttered. Gai laughed. "It's very obvious how the youthfulness of these two are showing! Let the first couple be an inspiration to the upcoming ones! And that-" Kakashi cleared his throat to stop Gai's long speech. "Let's just skip to the "I do's" Gai. Neji and Ten-Ten have been waiting." Gai turned to see the two glaring impatiently at him. "Then for now, the two will be witnesses to Uchiha Sasuke-san and Haruno Sakura-san's wedding!" the mentioned teens flinched. _"We're too young to be married. We're not even in a relationship!" _

"Do you, Uchiha Sasuke, take Haruno Sakura as your wife for the night? To love and to-"

"No." he said as bluntly as he could, his eyes glaring at the fake priest. "Let me finish. To love and to hold-" Sasuke clenched his fists and answered again. "No." He felt Zabuza's 'sword' push against his throat as he glared at his coach. "Why are you guys forcing us anyway?" Sakura remained silent but agreed. "It's just a booth Sasuke, all you have to do is play along." Zabuza said, as if it was easy. Kakashi grinned. "Or you could pay up!" Sasuke turned to Kakashi. "How much?" the silver-haired man snickered. "A million yen."

"WHAT?!" Sakura yelled.

"Fine." Sasuke murmured, moving to take his wallet out. "But it has to be in cash." Kakashi added, knowing that the Uchiha probably had a check or credit card or something. Sasuke looked up at his sensei. "Then let me take my phone out and call the bank."

Kurenai laughed nervously. "Actually, it's not a million yen. It's two million yen." Sakura nearly turned pale at the amount, but Sasuke just sighed and didn't seem to even flinch. "Like I said, let me call the bank…" he took out his cell phone as Sakura gulped. "Alright, we'll do it…" she whispered, causing everyone to turn to her. She had her head lowered and cheeks beet red. "Sakura..?" her "date" called out, somewhat asking if she was sure. Sakura gave him a reassuring smile. "It's only for the night anyway. And two million is too much, even for you." He sighed and gave a nod. "Fine, I do…" Gai grinned. "That's the spirit!" then turned to Sakura. "And do you, Haruno Sakura, take Uchiha Sasuke to be your husband for the night, to love and to hold-" she cut him off with a meek "I do" and Gai closed the fake bible he held.

"By the power of youth bestowed on me, I now pronounce you man and wife for the night!" again, he grinned and leaned down to Sasuke and whispered: "You may now kiss the bride." Sasuke twitched and Sakura turned even redder. "You have got to be kidding me…" Sasuke said, his face as red as Sakura's as they both stared in disbelief at their teachers. Kakashi chuckled evilly. "Nope! It's part of the rules!" he said, pointing at an illustration board nearby where the rules of their booth were written. "No way!" Sasuke yelled. Again, he felt the blade near his neck as he gulped inwardly, eyeing the metal. "Do it Uchiha…" Zabuza threatened while Kakashi leaned down to the male teen. "I know a secret that you're hiding Sasuke. Kiss her now and it's safe."

"Oh yeah, what secret could that be?" he challenged. Kakashi smiled and whispered it in his ear. Sasuke's jaw dropped as he glared at Kakashi. "How the hell did you know about that?" Kakashi laughed. "I was walking home that night. It just so happens I decided to pass by the park, that's all."

"_Shit." _He sighed deeply. "Besides, it's not as if you two haven't kissed yet." Asuma added, fixing his camcorder. The two twitched at the older man. "That was an accident…" they said monotonously. "True," Kakashi nodded his head. "But most of the students in school think it wasn't accidental."

Sasuke slapped his forehead with his right hand and sighed again. "Alright, if we do it, can we leave..?" the teachers nodded enthusiastically, and he turned to face Sakura who looked down, her bangs shadowing her eyes. "No." she said. Sasuke froze, half of him confused, half of him hurt. Why? He doesn't know. "There is no way you are all going to make us kiss right in front of all of you just for this stupid game!" If he wasn't shackled with her, he would've stepped a few feet away from her, especially since she was emitting a dangerous aura. He even heard Lee whimper and hide behind Gai who was shaking too.

"Now, now, Sakura…" Kakashi said, waving his index finger in the air from right to left. "Unless you want me to announce to everyone what your real reason for joining the basketball team is, then I suggest you do what we say." Sakura blushed furiously at this. Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. "Everyone already knows that she joined the team because of two reasons. One is she loves the sport and two is the dobe is there."

Kakashi laughed. "Wrong-o Uchiha Sasuke! Those are only minor reasons!" he took out a microphone and cleared his throat. "Attention everyone, this is Hatake Kakashi speaking, and I have a very important and secretive announcement to make." He waited until everyone stopped and whispered to each other as they listened. Sakura was panicking inside, while Sasuke raised a brow at Kakashi's happy mood. "I know the reason why Sakura joined the basketball team, and it's not because of the sport itself or because of a blonde kid there." He could hear the interested murmurs of the crowd, and even enjoyed the look Sakura was giving him. "That's right, the real reason why Sakura joi-"

"Alright already!" she cried. "I give up!"

"Joi… Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her ki-" he earned a thwack on the head from Kurenai. "Idiot, it's not yet Christmas." And a few moments later, they could hear students muttering incoherent words and other things about a lying Kakashi.

Sakura inhaled and looked at Sasuke from the corner of her eyes, blushing upon closer observation of his physical features. _"I wouldn't know what to do if he finds out the real reason I joined…" _she thought, absent-mindedly staring at him, even when he looked at her and gave a confused look. _"Were his eyes always this… enticing?" _she blinked when he flicked her forehead, smirking when she still looked a little lost. "I've been calling your name for twelve times already Sak." He said, turning to Kurenai who now held the microphone. "Sakura, I may end up telling everyone if you don't kiss each other." Sakura blushed and faced Sasuke, blushing when he placed a hand on her cheek and pushed away her bangs. _"I… I don't get it…" _she thought, her eyes half-closing as she gazed into his onyx orbs that were slowly closing as he neared his lips to hers. _"Normally, I would've imagined you to be Naruto… but now…" _her eyes fully closed when his lips touched hers in a gentle manner. _"…I'm actually happy it's you kissing me and not him…"_

_Click! Flash!_

"Here's a souvenir!" Kurenai handed them each a picture of their kiss.

* * *

Like before, they walked in silence. Whenever they would kiss, they would always walk in silence. It made both wonder why- but it was obvious that perhaps, deep down, they just don't know how to react- especially since they're not even lovers to begin with. "Sakura," he started, making her almost jump. "I've been meaning to ask you," he turned to her as they continued walking in-between stalls and passing by a lot of people. "What exactly is your real reason as to why you joined the team?" she was afraid he would ask, but she knew anyway that he would. "Well…" she looked down as they continued to walk. "It's not what, but rather, who." 

"Who then..?"

She stopped and looked down, not sure whether she'll admit it or not. "When I was in junior high, I was team captain of the basketball team and also had the same jersey number as you did." She tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear as she looked up at the night sky and continued. "We won against a lot of schools, until only male teams were left to battle. Most of my team didn't want to go on, but some wanted to, yet majority didn't, so we had to stop our reign." Sasuke didn't interrupt and continued to listen to her as they started walking again. "One day, a friend invited us to watch a big game, and since we had nothing else to do, we went with her and watched. That's when I first saw Naruto play." She sighed. "I thought he was good, but it looked like he wasn't, since he kept fouling, but I found him amusing then. Yet…" she trailed off. "Someone else caught my attention."

She slowly turned to him and smiled a bit, causing him to blink and wait for her to continue. "He had original moves that had me on the edge of my seat; my sight wasn't able to follow his every move with the speed he possessed. And what caught my attention the most was his eyes- they were so focused and full of determination. When I saw his eyes, I knew then that he was not the type who cared about winning or loosing, but just about being able to play the game."

"Sakura…" he whispered, eyes a bit wide as he finally caught on to what she said. _"That time… I saw a glimpse of you…"_

"It's you Sasuke," she said, blushing a bit under his gaze as she looked away. "You're the real reason why I joined the team… I wanted to see you play the game up close." She grinned sheepishly. "I'm one of your fans actually." He smirked and placed a hand on her head, then ruffled it a bit as she yelled in protest, then he ran when she got mad and also ran after him. "Damn it Uchiha! You messed up my hair again!"

"You were unsuspecting!"

"And who says you had to do that?"

"Me!" He yelled back, stopping when he saw her stop and squat on the ground, head lowered. He walked back and bent down, smiling at her when she looked up at him. "Alright, I'm sorry, I promise I won't do it again." He said, offering her a hand. She took it and gave a satisfied smile as they walked on, stopping by at some booths and played for a while. "I wouldn't be surprised if you hit all of those…" she muttered, watching Sasuke pay the owner of the shooting booth as he placed his bag down and took a rifle from the stall, staring at the moving yellow ducks that quacked non-stop, and at the moving soldiers that were in a fall-in position. Sasuke twitched when the ducks kept quacking. It just pissed him off to no end, and the man behind the counter couldn't help but step away from the teen. _"Damn ducks…" _he thought, forgetting that he only has five shots.

"Sir…"

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

This caught a lot of people's attention as they watched the Uchiha hit every quacking duck, not missing even one shot, despite how fast the ducks moved.

_Quack! Bang!_

This went on until there were no quacking sounds heard. Every yellow duck had been killed, and you could here whistles, claps and hollers from the crowd, not used to seeing someone eliminate all the moving ducks that mocked every shooter/player. "Sir… you were supposed to only have five shots…" the man cried. Sasuke made a "Pfft" sound and took out a wad of cash to pay for the damages or… whatever. The man then pointed to a set of prizes for him to pick, and he saw that majority consisted of jewelry. He turned to Sakura, seeing her reading a notice that was stuck to a nearby pole. _"Hmm… what suits her..?" _he thought, turning back to the necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

Since she already had earrings, and since he already gave her two baller bands, he picked a necklace with a black lace and a silver cross as a pendant. He didn't know what possessed him to pick that, maybe it was because his grandmother is a Catholic and taught him about the religion that he sort of believed it more than Buddhism or Shinto-ism. _"I'll give this to her later then." _

"Sakura," he called and she turned to him. "Come on." She nodded and followed him after he picked up his bag. _"That's odd…" _he thought, stopping to take a look inside his bag. Sakura blinked and watched him as he opened the zipper of his bag, seeing Ame's head pop out as it meowed at them. "Ame!" Sakura cried, taking the cat out of the bag and hugging it. "Why'd you bring Ame?"

Sasuke continued to look inside his bag. "I always bring him when I go home late or when I go to practice at night. Sometimes in the morning." He narrowed his eyes when he felt something move inside his bag. _"There're only supposed to be shirts, my jersey, a towel and two bottles of water, as well as a ball, so how come-" _he nearly yelped when something scratched his hand. He took it out and saw some blood ooze from the 3 lines that were on his hand. He smirked. "I see…" Sakura saw his hand and placed Ame down to pull his hand and look at the wounds on it. "What happened?"

"A kitten scratched me." He said, pulling his hand back as he knelt down and placed his bag on the ground, opening the flap fully as they saw a black kitten. The tip of its tail was white, and so were its paws. "Aww, it's so cute!" Sakura beamed, taking it out of his bag and smiling at the kitten. "Friend of yours Ame?" he asked, turning to his cat that meowed and rubbed itself against his leg. He petted it then turned to the kitten. "It's still a little too young to be living alone, so Ame must've took it in under his care, unless it's his kid." He took the baby cat from Sakura and examined it as it played with his fingers. "It's a girl." He concluded. "You better treat your scratch first." She reminded, seeing the dried up blood that smeared on his hand. "Oh, this is nothing serious, don't worry." He said, taking out a band-aid from his bag, as well as an alcohol to get rid of the germs.

Sakura flinched. "Doesn't that hurt?" Sasuke removed the cap of the alcohol and poured a few amounts on his wound. "Yeah, but if you blow on it," he did. "The wind that you release cools it off, making it feel soothing." He then placed the band aid on his scratch and tossed the alcohol back in his bag. "Come on Ame, hop in." The cat did as Sasuke zipped his bag a bit, letting Ame's head pop out of the hole he left for him. Sakura looked down at the kitten that was sitting on the ground. "What about her?" she asked. Sasuke looked down at it then to Sakura. "Keep her."

"Huh?"

"It seems to be fonder of you than me, and besides, having Ame is already a hand-full."

"What should I name her?"

He shrugged. "She's your cat now."

"Hmm…" she picked it up as they walked, not knowing where their feet are taking them. "Chastity!" she grinned, hugging the kitten as it mewed. Sasuke just smirked at her and stopped walking when he realized where they were heading. "Ne, isn't this place… haunted?" she asked.

"No, those are just rumors spread by Naruto."

"How do you know?"

Sasuke continued to walk as she cautiously followed him. "I always go here when I want to be alone. Since no one really bothers to go here, not after what Naruto said about seeing a headless priest and an armless man walking around, I decided to go here to think." He felt someone grab his shirt from behind, and he turned his head behind him slightly to see a shaking Sakura, looking around for any signs of ghost. "It's not true Sakura…" he muttered, sensing her apprehension. "Are you sure?" he nodded and she let go of his shirt, still uneasy as they continued to walk. "In fact, you might start coming back here after you see what I saw."

"Which is..?" he stopped when they reached the place, and she followed his gaze, seeing a big cherry blossom tree that somehow illuminated the place. Underneath the tree was a lone bench, waiting for someone or people to sit on it. "Come on." He said, taking her hand in his and pulling her towards the bench. They sat down in silence as Sasuke let Ame out to run around for a while, Chastity following the older cat as well. "Hey Sasuke," he turned to her, gesturing the girl to continue. "Do you… like someone?" she asked, looking up at the cherry tree, the petals of the flowers falling down on them. "Why?" he asked back. "I just don't see you hang around with girls, other than me, nor do I see you try to ask someone out."

"Okay," he said. "Wanna go out tomorrow?"

She blushed and looked at him, opening her mouth to say something but stopped when she saw him laughing. "Stop kidding around!" she scolded, punching him on the arm playfully and then joined him in laughing. "Sorry, I couldn't help it." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and then leaned back on the back rest, watching the petals swaying with the wind. "Oh, Sakura?" the girl turned to him as he took out the necklace he won for her. "Here."

Sakura blushed. "Y-you're giving it to me..?"

"Aa." He gave a small smile.

"Thank you…" she whispered, avoiding his gaze. "No problem." He replied. "Here, let me put it around your neck…" she nodded and pulled back her hair so that he can hook it around her neck. "Hn. Looks good on you." He commented.

* * *

"Did you get it?" 

"Of course I did! Now move your head away!"

"Oh boy, this is going to make a great music video!"

"Tone down your voice Kakashi! They might hear us!"

"Their youth is blossoming in the air!"

"Gai, can you get any weirder?"

"Shut it guys!"

Gai, Kakashi, Zabuza, as well as Asuma and Kurenai continued hiding and zooming their camcorder at the couple who were joking around, almost looking like they were really in a relationship. "If only Sakura would just see Sasuke and forget about her infatuation with Naruto." Kakashi sighed and looked at the two teens. "I always wonder what she sees in that troublemaker. I'm even more surprised that Hinata likes him too."

"Well, love is after all a complicated thing," Asuma said, adjusting his camcorder. "Who knows? Maybe those two might end up together as we hope." Kakashi chuckled. "We can always lend them a hand you know." Gai turned to him. "What're you planning?"

"I want you to show this video in your music class Gai."

"Not a bad idea!"

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 5: Words_

Sakura stopped and stared at him as he quickly turned around, his cheeks turning red. "You were really depressed a while ago… I didn't want to see you like that." Sakura looked down and recalled Naruto's words. It really hurt a lot, but then, having Sasuke around somehow cheered her up a bit, and she felt like doing something to show him her thanks.

He nearly jumped when she wrapped her arms around him from behind, her cheek nuzzling his back as she opened her mouth and whispered: "Thank you…"


	5. Words

**Ironies of Life**

His blue eyes narrowed when he saw the two together- laughing and joking around, shooting hoops and- dare he say it? Flirting...

Yes, his best friend was actually flirting with a girl. He never knew that this day would even come. What annoyed him the most is that the girl actually played along! Not to mention, Sasuke was teaching her his moves in basketball- which he never does to S7. _"Damn it!" _he cursed, his grip on the strap of his bag tightening at every move the pair made.

"Ow!" she said, alarming Sasuke as he stopped dribbling and was immediately at her side to see the cut on her palm. "You're so clumsy." He teased, grinning when she gave him a mocking glare. Naruto didn't know why his best friend liked this girl so much. Heck he has no idea what he sees in the team manager. It pissed him off to no end, and he had had it. Later, that girl was going to get it.

* * *

**_Chapter 5: Words_**

"Hold still," he whispered; holding onto her hand as he applied some ointment and blew on it when he noted how she flinched from the sting it gave. He smiled when she blushed under his gaze. He always found her cute when she was angry, happy, or shy. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you cried like a baby!"

"Sasuke!" she hit him on the arm as he laughed. He loved to annoy her so much; it was as if his day wouldn't be complete if he didn't tease her. "I'm kidding!" he said, getting on his feet and looking at the time on his watch. "Come on, we've got forty-five minutes to get to school." She nodded and stood up as they both took their belongings and headed to Konoha High.

* * *

"I can't believe this is happening to me!" Ino yelled, slamming her head on her locker as her schoolmates turned to look at her, sweat dropping at the girl's antics. "I-Ino, it isn't so bad…" Hinata said in a meek voice, trying to comfort her friend. "Yeah Ino, I mean, what's so bad about getting the main role of drama class?" Ten-Ten added, flinching when the blonde glared icily at her. "It's bad when the one who will play the main guy goes by the name of Rock Lee…" 

Ten-Ten blinked. "Lee's a nice guy, why don't you like him?"

"Because Shikamaru is there and he's playing as a narrator!" she yelled, grabbing Ten-Ten's uniform as she shook the senior. "You have got to help me!" Ten-Ten sweat dropped. "I can't, I'm not part of Drama class. My extra period is already in cooking class." Ino murmured incoherent words. "What about your other free period..?"

"No way am I giving that up! It's the only time I have with Neji!"

"But you spend enough time with him in cooking class!"

"Not enough."

Ino turned to Hinata who panicked upon seeing the gleam on the blonde's eyes. "A-anou… I have… music class and… Ikebana…"

"Aww man…"

"Looks like someone's down in the dumps today."

Ino lit up upon hearing the voice of her best friend. She turned to face the girl and nearly yelled in surprise to see Sasuke right next to the pink-haired teen without his gakuran top and only in a white shirt. Sasuke raised a brow at how Ino acted as she laughed nervously and regained her composure. Sakura turned to Ten-Ten for an explanation.

"She's playing as the main girl and Lee's her love interest."

"Are you sure Lee's playing the role?" Sakura asked. Ino nodded and sighed, then turned to Sasuke. "No offense to your friend Uchiha." The boy shrugged. "I completely understand." He stopped and looked up at the ceiling as if trying to recall something. "Come to think of it, Lee said something about switching classes with me…"

A light bulb appeared on top of Ino's head as she smirked evilly at Sasuke and Sakura who were both engaged in a conversation about switching classes. She could hear the words 'music, cooking (home economics) and computer class coming from the two. "Say, Uchiha…"

Sasuke stopped and turned to Ino. "What are your extra classes anyway?"

"Music and computer," he answered. "Why?"

"And you said something about Lee asking you to switch classes with him right?"

"Uh… yeah…"

"I suggest you do him a favor and switch one class with him." She sighed pitifully. "The boy's been under pressure with everything lately that he's desperate." Sasuke sweat dropped. "Actually, Yamanaka, he only wanted to switch classes because he said something about the leading lady being a nightmare…" Sakura, Ten-Ten and Hinata held in their laughter since they knew that Ino was playing as the main girl. "O-oh, really?" Ino laughed, trying to control her temper. "You see, I heard the main girl didn't want the role, so she planned on switching with her _best friend _who is in cooking class."

Ten-Ten and Hinata turned to Sakura and grinned as the pink-haired teen looked at Ino with wide eyes. "Really?" Sasuke asked. "Then I guess Lee doesn't have to switch classes with me anymore."

"Oh no, you have to! I mean, have you seen him in drama class lately? He's really got it bad." Ino nodded and sighed pitifully. "I wish I could help that boy, but I can't. I mean, I don't know how…" Behind Sasuke, Ten-Ten and Hinata were preventing Sakura from stopping Ino with what the blonde has to say. "Sorry Yamanaka," Sasuke said, making all four girls stop. "Maybe Kiba could switch instead. He was planning to switch his class with my computer class." Sakura blinked, trying to remember something. "Wait! Kiba's in cooking class." Sakura said. Sasuke turned to her and gave a nod. "Yeah, he's bad at the subject, so he wanted to switch classes with me." He shrugged. "Anyway, I don't want to be with Naruto either..."

Sakura caught the look on Sasuke's face and she couldn't decipher what made him like that.

"Hey, Sasuke!" he looked up to see Shino waving at him. "Come on! The class is going to have a meeting!"

"Coming!" Sasuke yelled back and gave a curt nod to the girls. "Ja." And he left. Ino sighed heavily. "Once again, I am dead…"

"You didn't win." Sakura said grinning.

* * *

"Yes!" Kiba yelled. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he attempted to hug Sasuke but the Uchiha extended his hand and had his palm on Kiba's forehead, preventing the guy from coming closer. "You're welcome…" he muttered. He caught the look Naruto gave him and he chose to ignore it, not in the mood for his best friend's rants- not after what happened last Friday after he walked Sakura home. 

"Why are you switching with him?" Naruto asked. Sasuke sighed inwardly, knowing that he would have to answer. "He wanted to be in Computer class. Shino and Shikamaru don't want to give up that class for cooking, and Neji and Lee are seniors, so the only option he has is me or you." Kiba nodded and sat back down beside Naruto, wrapping an arm around S7's leader's head and gave the blonde a grin. "And since I know how much you love that class, I decided to ask Sasuke to switch with me instead!"

They could hear Shino and Shikamaru laughing. "What's so funny?" Naruto asked. "Well, I just can't imagine Sasuke in a kitchen!" Shikamaru said, banging a fist on the table since he couldn't stop laughing. "And this image of Sasuke in a pink, frilly apron keeps popping into my head!" Shino added. Naruto lowered his head when he heard the word "pink". It reminded him of Sakura again, and it just pissed him off.

"Why? Because you wear one?" Sasuke countered. Shino shut up and glared at Sasuke. "No, I'm not gay!" Sasuke smirked. "You aren't?"

"The hell?! Cut it out Sasuke!"

"Hey, Sasuke!" they all turned their heads to see Sakura walk up to them, holding a note. She caught the look Naruto sent her but pretended to not notice it. "Here," she handed him the note. "Ooohh… Sasuke's got a love letter!" Kiba teased and earned a plastic tray to hit his face. "Idiot…" Sasuke muttered. "Zabuza-sensei told me to give it to him, so unless the coach is gay, it's just a note, not a love letter." She said, bowing a bit before leaving the guys.

"Dude, that girl's got a crush on you." Neji said, resting his elbow on Sasuke's shoulder as he had one eye opened, looking at his friend. "What makes you say that?" the Uchiha asked while unfolding the note. "She's pretty defensive when it comes to you." Neji added. "I mean, you could've defended yourself against Kiba." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It's probably because coach handed it to her and found it reasonable to explain." He read the contents of the note and smirked. "Looks like we'll be seeing Zaku and his gang soon." This perked up everyone's interest as they turned to Sasuke. "Sound just challenged our school to a game today."

* * *

"Yosh! I shall now inspire you all with this music video that some of our teachers shot during the festival!" Gai said, raising the tape in his hand as the class stared at it, wondering what kind of video it could be. "It was a really tough job for your teachers, myself included, to keep track of the people inside this video, and perhaps, this will serve as an inspiration to your singing next week." He placed the tape in the VCR and closed the lights as the clip started. 

The video showed the opening of the festival as students entered and started to flock around booths. Sakura and Hinata giggled when they saw Ino dragging Shikamaru towards a booth full of stuffed animals. Sasuke and Naruto found it amusing when the lazy-ass actually won something for his date. "Ne teme, I can't believe that lazy bum could be so hard-working!" Sasuke smirked. "Probably because of Yamanaka, don't you think?" Naruto nodded as the clip showed other couples as well. Again, they laughed when they saw Neji and Ten-Ten in the wedding booth and with Lee dressed in a robe, including Gai who was making youthful speeches.

Sasuke stopped though, when the next scene showed Shino and Kiba fighting over the last piece of sushi. But that was not what caught his attention; instead, he saw a glimpse of him and Sakura somewhere in the background, having their dinner. _"Shit…" _he cursed when the next scene had Naruto and Hinata in it, sweet with each other and all. He turned to Sakura who was seated a few seats in front of him, and the look in her eyes made him sad too. _"Seeing Hinata with her crush probably made her sad…" _he thought, looking down as he ignored Naruto's sheepish chuckles and flirts with Hinata who was beside Sakura, blushing and trying to make Naruto stop. "Dobe," he called out, seeing Sakura lower her head. "What teme?" he asked, the goofy grin still plastered on his face. "Stop it."

"Huh..?"

"Everyone's looking at you." He lied. He actually told Naruto to stop because of Sakura, but heck, that may lead to another rant from his best friend if he said that. "Oh my god! Haruno Sakura! You're such a bitch!" the two S7 members heard Ayaka yell and looked up at the screen to see Sakura under the wedding booth with Sasuke, and the scene was the two of them kissing. "What the hell?!" Naruto cried out. Sakura heard it and got up, afterwards, ran outside the door. Sasuke didn't think twice of following her. "Sakura!" he yelled and also ran outside, leaving the class, including Gai, to stare dumbly at them, until what happened registered in their heads.

"Oh my…"

_Thud._

"Eh? Ayaka-san?" Gai tried to wake the fainted girl as Naruto turned from the doorway to the screen, his eyes narrowing when he saw Sasuke and Sakura under a cherry blossom tree, his best friend putting a necklace around the girl's neck.

* * *

"Sakura!" he yelled again but the girl just kept running, all the way outside the school's building. Sasuke caught up with her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back. "Hey, Sakura!" she cried. "Let me go! I… I can't believe they would do that!" she yelled. Sasuke knew why she was frustrated. It wasn't just because their forced kiss was shown in public, but also because Naruto was there. "Why?" she asked. "Why did they record that? What did we do to ever deserve this?!" 

"Sakura-" he was startled when she hugged him and cried. He actually expected her to break away from his arms and run, but he didn't expect her to stay. "It's okay," he said, trying to find the right words he could say. "I mean… we weren't the only ones embarrassed there." Her sobbing subsided so he continued. "Heck, at least we weren't wearing what Gai-sensei and Lee wore. And we didn't fight over a piece of sushi…" he wasn't sure if he heard a giggle escape her lips as her tears continued to fall. "Who knows? They probably took that shot because we're photogenic. Maybe some talented agent will see it and hire us as movie stars." He grinned sheepishly as she looked up at him. He flinched when he saw her tear-stained face.

"I'm not very good at making you laugh, am I?"

She smiled a bit. "You're getting there." He managed to give her a small smile and wiped her tears away. "No use going back there, I doubt the class will keep quiet. Why don't we head to the gym early today?" Sakura blinked. "I'm not supposed to be there unless told to or practice."

"Yeah, but you broke that rule on the day I caught you practicing during lunch time."

"Oops…"

"Don't worry, you can just stay and watch if you're scared that someone might catch us."

"O-okay…"

* * *

"Hey guys, check it out." His friends or teammates looked up from what they were doing to see Sasuke talking to Sakura about some of the team's weak and strong points. However, that was not what caught their attention; instead, they saw how Sasuke was looking at the girl, and how Naruto glared at them. A smirk appeared on the guy's lips. "What're you planning Zaku?" his friend asked. "I just found a way to break the bond that Uzumaki and Uchiha has." 

He stood up from his sitting position and gestured his team to go over to their opponent. "I heard you guys have been practicing," Zaku started as he stopped and came face to face with Sasuke. "So, _captain_, care to show me a few moves?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes a bit, noting how some of the students in the gym kept silent and listened in on their conversation, including Zabuza, who looked like he was ready to stop a fight that is about to occur.

"You're gonna have to wait for that Zaku." He said and attempted to turn his back on the Sound team, until Zaku decided to have a little fun with Konoha's team manager. "You're pretty cute, don't tell me you're Uchiha's property?" Sasuke stopped and clenched his fists He knew that Zaku was somehow trying to get him to start a fight and cause their team to be disqualified. Sakura knew this, so she pulled her hand away from Zaku's grip. "No, I'm no one's property, unless you translate that into friend, then yes, I am." She was about to walk away too when Zaku pulled her arm. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind giving me a kiss?"

A loud slap was heard in the gym, and everyone blinked at what just happened. Zaku had his eyes widened, including his teammates'. A red mark was on his left cheek and Sakura directed an icy glare at the boy. "I guess what I heard about Sound students are true," she took a deep breathe in and looked at Zaku in the eye. "You're all rude, jerks and despicable."

"Why you-"

"Don't even think about it Zaku."

Zaku looked at his right fist that was supposed to connect with Sakura's jaw, only it ended up on Sasuke's open palm. "You're a visiting team here, and as much as I'd like to kick your ass right now," he could tell Zabuza was smirking at this. "It would have to wait, because there are too many students here that may witness your defeat, which would be humiliating than the last," he smirked. "Don't you think?" Zaku glared at Sasuke and pulled his hand back, then leaned closer to Konoha's basketball captain. "One day, I'm going to make you regret everything, Uchiha." He spat. Sasuke just smirked. "Yeah, but that'll take a long time." Zaku led his team away as the other students managed to let out the breath they were holding in.

"You okay?" he asked. Sakura gave a smile and a nod. "Mm. Be sure to kick his sorry butt in the game later." She winked. "Don't worry," he said and turned around, stopping and turning back to her. "I intend to after what he just did to my girl." She blinked, letting what he said to register in her head until he snickered and ran over to his team. She finally got what he said and blushed, then glared at Sasuke. "Damn you Uchiha!!"

"Okay Centers, step up!" Zabuza called as he played as a referee for their game. He waited for Jiro, who was their best center player in the team as Dosu from Sound stepped right up to represent his team. "I want a fair game, got it?" both teams nodded and Zabuza threw the ball. Both centers jumped, but Dosu managed to get the ball and Zaku immediately caught it. When he turned around, the ball was knocked off of his hands, and he was frozen for a moment before he turned to see the player who took the ball from him run towards the other side. _"Number seven," _he said inwardly,_ "Uchiha." _and quickly ran after Sasuke.

Zaku managed to catch him but Sasuke immediately stopped and smirked when he saw Zaku's shocked look. "Uchiha Sasuke specialty number two: Stop and Shoot." And he jumped to shoot the ball on the three point line. Konoha made the first score, and it pissed Zaku when he saw the look Sasuke gave him, and how some of the students cheered Konoha on. Although his team tried to encourage him, Zaku was still enraged.

"Dosu, over here!" Dosu passed the ball to their point guard who quickly ran towards their court, only to be blocked by Kiba, Konoha's fastest guard. Zaku was open and he got the ball and jumped, attempting for a three point line. It went in and he did a high five with his teammates. Kiba began cursing but Sasuke placed a hand on his head and ruffled it. "Relax Kiba, it's only the beginning," he leaned down. "Do maneuver twelve once you get the ball." Kiba nodded and they started to run for offense.

"Naruto, catch!" Kiba yelled. Naruto caught the ball and watched as Sasuke and Shino started to run at the same pace on the same side while Kiba and Jiro did the same on the other. Naruto smirked, knowing what game plan to do. _"So, teme wants to use the new move eh?" _he faked to the right to confuse his opponent then immediately turned to the left to where Kiba and Jiro were. "He's going to pass it to Inuzuka!" Sound knew about Kiba being both a point guard and shooting guard, therefore, he was also a sharp shooter. Kiba heard them and grinned when he pretended to get Naruto to pass him the ball. Instead, the blonde passed it to Jiro who was free and open. "Dosu! Hurry and block him!" Zaku yelled. Dosu ran to Jiro who turned to Sasuke. Zaku took note of this and ran towards Sasuke, Dosu blocking Jiro's view of Konoha's team captain, leaving Shino open.

"Idiots." Jiro muttered, passing the ball to Shino who was already on the three-point line. Shino smirked and shot the ball, earning them another three points. "Dig that Sound suckers!" Naruto said, sticking his tongue out at them as they ran back for defense.

* * *

"So far so good." Zabuza commented, seeing the ten-point lead that Konoha had after the first half. _"If this keeps up, we'll have no problem against Sand on our next game." _He turned to his team, some seated on benches and drinking water, the rest who still had enough stamina were standing, wiping the sweat away from their body with the towels that Sakura and Hinata handed them. He smirked when he saw his best player and team manager at their flirting game again. _"Why don't those two just go for it anyway?"_ he turned to Hinata and Naruto. _"I don't think Naruto is good for Sakura, so why can't she and Sasuke just get together?"_

"Great game captain." Sakura commented, tossing Sasuke a water bottle. "Told you I'd kick his ass there." And he opened the bottle cap and drank some of the cool liquid. "Yeah yeah," she punched his arm playfully. "What's the big idea about claiming me as your girl?" he grinned sheepishly. "It was just a joke Sak-o-potato!" Sakura blushed and glared at him. "I dare you repeat that Uchiha!"

"Gladly."

And they laughed. Naruto turned his attention to them as soon as Hinata left to distribute the rest of the water bottles and towels to the other players. He glared at Sakura when she pretended to fan girl over Sasuke who played along. _"Damn…"_ he noted that there were still a few minutes left before the second half starts, so he went over to Sakura. "Hey, Haruno, can I talk to you for a moment?" Sakura cocked her head to the side, wondering what her crush could want. Sasuke gave Naruto a warning look before letting his best friend lead Sakura outside the gym. _"I just hope nothing bad will happen." _He sighed and turned his attention to his team. _"Everyone's still in good shape, and since Naruto's still away…" _he approached the team. "Shikamaru, you're up, Kiba, get some rest. Dartan, you're replacing Naruto, Haku, take Shino's place. Idate, you're playing center. Let's go!" and the new set of players ran to the court as Zabuza signaled the beginning of the second half.

* * *

"Uzumaki-san, the second half just started, so whatever it is you're going to say, please hurry up." Naruto stopped walking as Sakura did as well, staring at his back where the name Uzumaki was printed above the number ten. "What's the hurry Haruno?" Sakura rolled her eyes. "Aside from you being a player there, I'm the team manager, and I have to be there." 

"Hinata's there anyway."

"Still, I also have my responsibility."

"Then why don't you start leaving Sasuke alone."

Sakura slapped her forehead. "And how many times must I or Sasuke tell you that you can't tell us or anyone what to do?" Naruto turned around and pushed her against the gym's wall, trapping her there and glaring at her. She didn't cower but returned the same intent glare she could give. "Just because you hang out with an S7 member who's also my best friend, doesn't mean you can talk back or answer me just like that."

"Who are you to deprive me from my freedom of speech?"

He was tempted to slap her, but then, that would be like admitting defeat. "Stay away from Sasuke."

"Or what?" she challenged. He shook in anger. "Do you want me to send his fans to get you like the last time?" Sakura's eyes widened a bit. "And what if you do?"

"Maybe I could even go as far as letting your death look like an accident."

"I dare you to."

"Don't. I might actually do."

She saw how serious his eyes were, and somehow, she slowly lost courage in her. "What's the matter Haruno? Cat got your tongue?" Sakura remained glaring at him. "Last warning, stay away from Sasuke." She had enough of this. "And for the last time Uzumaki, I'm not going to listen or obey you." Naruto punched the wall right next to her head and saw her flinch; he knew that he was getting to her, especially since the wall just cracked. He leaned closer to her ear, noting how she was shaking. "You want your skull to give the same sound? I'd gladly do it."

Sakura's eyes widened. She couldn't believe she had a crush on this guy. What hurt the most was he would do anything to hurt her, and he would even enjoy it. Naruto looked down and saw that she was wearing Sasuke's tag, the tag that would be proof of your membership in S7. "Why is that with you Haruno?"

"Sasuke… lent it to me…"

Naruto pulled the tag, causing the chain to break as he let it fall on the ground. "Sasuke will just have to get a new one since you wore it. Besides," he smirked "It doesn't suit you." He hissed. She felt insulted at the first thing he said, it was like she poisoned the tag or something. "Now be a good girl and stay away from Sasuke." He pulled back and started to walk away as she lowered her head. "No, I won't." he stopped and turned to her. "What did you say?" she looked up at him and glared again. "I said I won't."

"You stubborn little-"

"What? Is that all you're good at? Name-calling?"

Naruto smirked, and Sakura was taken aback by this. "Only the girls in music class saw the video, but I can fix that by showing it worldwide. Not only that," he gave her an evil smirk. "I heard you had a crush on me, well guess what?" she shook, not wanting to hear what he had to say next. "I don't feel the same way towards you, Haruno. In fact, I prefer your friend, Hinata, over you. In fact, I really hate you."

"_Don't get your hopes up on Naruto…" _Sasuke's words echoed through her head. Now she knew what he meant, he was trying to warn her, protect her from this rejection, and she just ignored it. "I repeat: I hate you." He said again.

She had enough, and she started to run, run away from him, run away from everything. Naruto saw that she was crying, and he smirked. _"Maybe that ought to be enough to get you to keep away from Sasuke, especially since I'll be sure to be sticking to him to keep you away."_

* * *

"Alright! Go Konoha!" Zabuza sweat dropped when he saw most of the faculty of Konoha in the gym, cheering and whistling. He was even surprised to see Kurenai actually yelling. _"Wow, I'm glad I'm coach here." _He turned to the scoreboard to see that Konoha was now fifteen points ahead, and he saw how pissed Sound's coach and players were. _"Heh. This is what we get for having Uchiha as our team captain." _His eyes landed on the said teen who had both hands on his knees as he panted a bit, looking up at the scores and smirked when he caught Zaku's look. 

Sasuke stood up straight and turned to his team who were celebrating. _"The pressure I have to go through to keep the team alive."_ He knew that if they lose, Konoha's spirits would go down, and that was the last thing he needed, especially with having Zabuza as your coach and a lot of students looking up to you. _"Just a few more minutes…" _he thought, going over to the benches when Zabuza called for a break from the game.

"Hmm… something's missing…" he mumbled _"Rather, someone."_ he thought, eyeing the whole team. "Hey, Hinata, where's Sakura?" Hinata stopped and looked around, then turned to Sasuke. "Wasn't she with you a while ago?" Sasuke shook his head and turned his attention to Naruto who was stretching his arms. "Oi, dobe, where's Sakura?" he asked. Naruto gave him a questioning look. "I thought she was following me when I got here." Sasuke looked outside and saw that it was raining. _"Something's wrong." _He narrowed his eyes at this. "What did you tell her anyway?" he asked, not looking at his best friend. "Nothing much; I just told her to give up on me." Sasuke's eyes widened as he turned to look at Naruto. "What?"

"I told her to give up, find someone else because I love someone else." The whole team nearly jumped when Sasuke threw a ball at Naruto, followed by a glare and he began to run outside the gym. "S-Sasuke! Where are you going?" Kiba yelled but Sasuke just ignored him and continued running, not minding how the rain fell on his now soaked jersey. _"Stupid asshole! I knew I shouldn't have let him talk to her!"_

* * *

_**Flashback:**_

"Take care!" she waved goodbye at him as he nodded and walked back home. The festival in their school was over, and he admits it, he had a great time with Sakura tonight. "Yo, teme!" he stopped and saw Naruto walking towards him. "It's still pretty early; wanna go to the internet café and play?" Sasuke blinked, something told him that Naruto wasn't here for just that. "Sure." And they headed to the nearby computer store to play some online games.

"I didn't really get to see you in the festival, did you even go?"

"Yeah, why?" Sasuke asked, not knowing where his best friend was getting at. "Oh, who did you take there?" Naruto asked, yawning afterwards as he stretched his arms and folded them behind his head. "Sakura." Naruto stopped walking all of a sudden. "What do you see in her anyway?" Sasuke was taken aback by this. "Naruto, we've talked about this."

"No. We barely get to hang out as a group anymore because you're always with her."

"Not all the time. I mean, come on, she also has her own group."

"So why do you bother?"

Sasuke sighed heavily. "It just so happens that we see each other in the morning, that's why you see us walk to school together." He continued to walk. "And besides, it's not like our friendship's gonna end." Naruto still didn't looked convince. "Just you two wait." He whispered, but Sasuke heard it, yet chose to ignore it- dismissing it as an empty threat.

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

"_That idiot can't even tell if a person's hurt already!" _he continued running, trying to look for her but to no avail. _"Crap. Sakura, where are you?" _he made his way out of school and went to the park. 

"Shit." He cursed, seeing no sign of her. He went out of the park and began walking around, his head turning from right to left in hopes of catching a glimpse of the pink-haired girl. A few moments later, he came by a slightly deserted area of the town and saw a red ribbon hanging loosely on some small branches of a tree. He took it and now knew why it was familiar to him, it was Sakura's. A small smile made its way on his lips. _"I'm such an idiot. Now I know where she is."_

* * *

_**Flashback:**_

"Ne, Sasuke," she asked as he walked her home. "Do you have a secret place?"

"Secret place..? Is there such a thing?"

"Yup! Mine happens to be an old abandoned building. It may look ugly outside, but once you get to the back of the building, it's actually a pretty park. It's small though, but just right." She grinned. Sasuke shook his head at this. "I'm not sure, but I guess you could say, the beach. I go there all the time when I want to be alone."

"Funny, I thought it would be a basketball court."

Sasuke splashed the girl with his water bottle. "My life does not revolve around basketball all the time Saku-gaki."

"What did you just call me?!"

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

The rain continued falling as he made his way to the back of the building, believing that he will find Sakura there. _"That gaki…" _he thought after he reached her so-called secret place. He looked around a bit, seeing that it was small and was close to looking like a park. He saw a hunched figure under a tree, and he smiled a bit. _"Found you." _And he walked over to her. 

"Oi, gaki."

She looked up all of a sudden, surprised to see Sasuke a few feet away from her, soaking wet yet a small smile on his lips. "You sure caused me a lot of trouble." He walked closer as she stared wide-eyed at him. "Come on," he said, offering her a hand. "Let's get you home." Her eyes shed more tears as she got up and tackled him to an embrace, all the while crying her heart out as he remained standing and slowly returned the embrace, her cries and the rain the only sound that his ears could pick up.

"_Why..? Why didn't I just fall for you..? Why did I have to… wait until I was rejected to realize it?" _

"Hey, come on, let's go, you might catch a cold here."

"_Sasuke… you… I… I think I…"_

* * *

"Oh dear, you two are soaking wet, come in." Kasumi said, pulling the two teenagers inside and tossed them each a towel. "Now, what were you two up to this time?" she asked as they dried themselves up. "Um… well…" Sakura stammered. "Sorry Mrs. Haruno, we got caught in the rain when we were on our way home." Sasuke answered for her. Kasumi sighed. "Next time, bring an umbrella." And she turned to the stairs to fetch them some clothes, missing the two teens' grins. "Thanks." Sakura murmured. 

"Sasuke..?" Sasuke looked up as Kasumi handed him some spare clothes and did the same to Sakura. "There's a storm coming, so I suggest you sleep here for the night."

"Oh, um, thanks Mrs. Ha-"

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. It's 'ka-chan' Sasuke." She grinned. The two sweat dropped as Sasuke nodded none the less.

"Sorry 'bout my mom, she isn't really like that around boys you know." Sakura said as she led him upstairs. "Nah, that's okay. It's kind of funny how she and my mom act the same." Sakura giggled. "I wonder what will happen if your mom catches me in your apartment?" Sasuke shook his head. "Chaos will ensue." They laughed. _"At least she's feeling better now." _

They went in her room as she jumped on her bed. "Well, this is my room, nothing much to see but-" she saw him staring at the picture on her desk, a smirk on his lips as he picked it up. Sakura finally realized what picture it was. "I can explain!"

"Right…" he said, showing her the picture of the two of them under the wedding booth, sharing a kiss. "It's not what you think!" he grinned. "You like me." Sakura blushed. "N-No! I-I mean- yes- as a friend that is and- maybe- but- gah! Sasuke!" he laughed. "I'm kidding!" Sakura twitched. "Stop teasing me Uchi-Suke!"

"Nah, it's fun to annoy you."

"Stop being so mean!"

"I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

"I was just making you forget about what happened earlier!"

Sakura stopped and stared at him as he quickly turned around, his cheeks turning red. "You were really depressed a while ago… I didn't want to see you like that." Sakura looked down and recalled Naruto's words. It really hurt a lot, but then, having Sasuke around somehow cheered her up a bit, and she felt like doing something to show him her thanks.

He nearly jumped when she wrapped her arms around him from behind, her cheek nuzzling his back as she opened her mouth and whispered: "Thank you…"

"…_Sasuke, I think I…"_

"Hn, you're welcome."

"…_love you."_

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 6: Rivals_

She looked up and turned a deeper shade of red when she saw who it was. "S-Sasuke..? What're you doing here?" Sasuke walked over to them and noted her red face, as well as the guy she was with. Unknowingly, he clenched his fists in his pockets, wondering what the two were doing. "I'm not interrupting, am I?" Sakura shook her head, not noticing the look Sasuke threw Sai before turning back to her, his mood turning a bit… gloomy. "Um… Sasuke, Sai-san's new here, so I'm touring him around. He also plans to join the basketball team, right Sai-san?" Sai nodded and extended a hand to Sasuke, as well as gave a smile. "Pleased to meet you Sasuke-san, is it okay if I call you that?" Sasuke gave a nod and shook his hand. "Well, seeing as you're _busy_, I'll talk to you later." And he left, leaving the two to watch his retreating figure.

"_Che, so much for spending lunch break with her…"_

* * *

_A/N: Sai's appearance is next! I wonder how Sasuke's gonna react about it?_


	6. Rivals

_A/N: Readers, sorry if this fic seems slow with character development. But I don't want to rush things too much. I'd like to thank you all for putting up with Naruto's behavior. And for that, this chapter has the answers as to why he's been acting like a jerk._

* * *

**Ironies of Life**

"Sakura, that's just too sweet!" Ino chirped. Sakura just stared at the chocolates and the white bear that had a light blue fisherman's hat and ribbon around its neck. "I really don't know who sent these to me. What's weird is- how did he figure out my locker combination? No one but me knows it…" she gave a nod when Ten-Ten gestured a permission from her to unwrap the chocolate bar. "And I can't even tell who this secret admirer is…"

"First sign of love Sakura." Hinata said, smiling.

"Sakura's got a stalker! Sakura's got a stalker!" Ino and Ten-Ten said while Hinata giggled as Sakura blushed and tried to quiet them down. "Cut it out! I don't want anyone to-"

"Stalker..?"

Too late…

"Hey Sasuke..!" Sakura greeted, forcing a smile.

* * *

**_Chapter 6: Rivals_**

The four girls watched as Sasuke read the letter and analyzed it for a long time. "Nope, sorry, no one from S7 has this hand writing." He said, putting the piece of paper down as the four girls sighed and slumped their shoulders. "By the way, what're you doing here and not with S7?" Ino asked, curiosity getting the best of her. Sasuke shrugged. "After what happened the other day," he spared Sakura a glance. "I don't want to see Naruto for the time being, I might say something rash…" Ten-Ten tilted her head a bit. "And now you're here with us girls..?" Sasuke blinked. "No, I just came over here because I can't help but overhear you two saying something about Sakura having a stalker. I was planning to head over to the gym to practice."

"Pfft. Like you need it." Sakura muttered. "Alright, maybe not practice but come up with new moves." Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. "You don't need to, five is enough already."

"Yeah but with the likes of Gaara, no way." Sasuke answered.

The three girls looked at the two and inched away slowly, making sure that they would go unnoticed.

"And furthermore-" Sakura ranted on until he cut her off.

"Your friends are gone…"

Silence…

"Darn it! I swear, you three are gonna get it!" she yelled. "Hn…" Sasuke looked at the bear and picked it up, playing with its small arms. "I would've thought that someone would give you a pink one." Sakura gave him a questioning look. "This guy sure knows you, I mean, your favorite color's light blue right?" she nodded and he pointed to the bear's hat and ribbon. Sakura's eyes widened. "Sasuke! You've got to help me find this stalker!"

"Why? So you could ask him out?"

"NO, BAKA! I want to put an end to this before the situation worsens!"

"So start asking some random suspects."

Sakura twitched. "It's not that easy!" Sasuke shrugged. "Sure it is," and he suddenly pulled a random guy by the collar of his gakuran top. "Did you send her these?" the boy shook his head and Sasuke let him go. "See? It's that easy." Sakura sweat dropped and sighed. "Fine, you do that part while I pick the guys." Sasuke blinked. "Wait a minute, I didn't agree or volunteer to-"

"Thank you Sasuke-kun!" she said in a sweet tone and picked up her bag then left him sitting there, the wind and the bear being his only company. "Did she just call me 'Sasuke-_kun_'?"

* * *

"Okay class, we have a new student today and I hope you'll all be kind to him." Kurenai said to her class. Hinata tapped Sakura. "Isn't it a bit weird to be transferring in the middle of the school year?" Sakura nodded in agreement. "This guy must be pretty smart to reach this class." 

"Class, I would like you all to meet Sai," the student entered the class with a smile on his face. Some girls blinked and started whispering to each other. Kurenai cleared her throat to gain back their attention. Satisfied with the results, she turned to Sai. "Please tell us a little about yourself Sai." The student nodded and faced his new classmates. "Hi everyone, I'm Sai. I'm fond of drawing or anything related to Art. Aside from that, I also play basketball."

"Basketball, huh?" Kurenai smiled a bit. "In that case… Sakura..?"

"H-hai?"

"As team manager of the basketball team, I would like to request that you tour Sai around and also introduce him to the team. Maybe the coach can give him a try-out."

"O-okay sensei."

* * *

"Sasuke," Shino called, but Sasuke was too preoccupied with his thoughts. "Sasuke..!" he hissed, and again, was ignored. "Uchiha Sasuke." He blinked, looking at the hand that slammed on his desk. He looked up to see a pissed off Orochimaru, his brows were twitching, and Sasuke just blinked in return. The chemistry teacher cleared his throat. "I've been calling your attention for almost a minute now." He said, raising a brow to the teen who continued to stare at him. "What is the answer to number twelve of page 243 of your book?" 

He looked down at the said number and stood up to answer the teacher's question. "Combustion theory…" he muttered and sat back down when told to, at the same time, warned him about spacing out. Shino sighed and shook his head. "Sasuke," Shino tried again as Sasuke turned to face him. "Naruto wants to talk to you tonight, at the café."

Sasuke looked back down, contemplating a bit. "Why..?" he asked. Shino sighed and had his cheek rest on his palm. "He wanted to talk to you about Haruno, and also, he wants to explain everything." He noted the Uchiha teen's brow furrowing, and he waited for a response. "Alright."

* * *

"Hey, Sai-san right?" he nodded. "I'm Sakura, Haruno Sakura, and as what Kurenai-sensei mentioned, I'm the team manager of the basketball team. But first, I'll tour you around. We can stop by at the gym at dismissal when there's practice." She cleared her throat. "So, let's go!" she led the way and began to tour him, pointing where the library, music room, art room and cafeteria were, as well as where the faculty was. By the time they were almost finished, Sai spoke. 

"You're pretty good at these things, it's like you're already used to touring new students."

"Not really, I just happen to be a bit enthusiastic lately." She grinned sheepishly at this. "Well then, Sai-san, here we have-"

"Why don't you just call me Sai-kun?" he smiled at her. "It's a lot better than Sai-san."

Sakura smiled a bit and shook her head. "Sorry but…" she lowered her head and blushed. "That's reserved for someone special to me right now." Sai tilted his head. "Really? May I know who?" Sakura's blush deepened. "Well… it's-"

"Sakura..?"

She looked up and turned a deeper shade of red when she saw who it was. "S-Sasuke..? What're you doing here?" Sasuke walked over to them and noted her red face, as well as the guy she was with. Unknowingly, he clenched his fists in his pockets, wondering what the two were doing. "I'm not interrupting, am I?" Sakura shook her head, not noticing the look Sasuke threw Sai before turning back to her, his mood turning a bit… gloomy. "Um… Sasuke, Sai-san's new here, so I'm touring him around. He also plans to join the basketball team, right Sai-san?" Sai nodded and extended a hand to Sasuke, as well as gave a smile. "Pleased to meet you Sasuke-san, is it okay if I call you that?" Sasuke gave a nod and shook his hand. "Well, seeing as you're _busy_, I'll talk to you later." And he left, leaving the two to watch his retreating figure.

"_Che, so much for spending lunch break with her…"_

"Man, I think that guy's mad at me or something…" Sai muttered. "Huh? Why?" Sakura asked. Sai laughed a bit. "He shook my hand too hard…"

* * *

"Where the hell is Uchiha? He's late again!" Zabuza exclaimed as he watched the team practice. Sakura came in the gym with Sai tagging along. "Hey coach!" Zabuza turned to her. "Hey Sakura, where's Sasuke?" she blinked. "He's not here yet?" Zabuza shook his head and Sakura sighed. "That baka…" she muttered. "I'm sure he'll be here soon. Anyway, sensei, we have a new classmate and he wants to join the team." Zabuza looked up and saw Sai. He smirked. "He wants to join the team eh?" 

"Yup!"

"Hey guys, hear that? Someone wants to join the team!"

Kiba and Naruto looked up and saw Sai. "You've got to be kidding me." Kiba whispered as he and Naruto snickered. "Okay coach, what do you want us to do?" Zabuza turned to Sai. "I want to give him a _special _try-out. Aburame!" Shino ran towards Zabuza. "I want you and this newbie to play a shooting game. First one who has the most shots before time runs out, wins." Shino nodded as Hinata tossed him a ball and gave one to Sai who went to the other court. "Alright kid, first test requires your dexterity and speed. So until your time ends, you have to have a higher score than our best shooter here, Aburame Shino, or until he misses a shot, which is highly impossible." Sai gave a smile. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, so better tell us if you give up!" Naruto teased. Sai smiled at him and shook his head. "That would be the day." And Zabuza blew on his whistle as the two started shooting at top speed, each ball going in the ring perfectly.

"Whoa, check this kid out." Kiba murmured. Shikamaru gave a small smile. "Not bad. He's pretty good; wonder if there'll be someone else who can beat Shino at this game." Jiro and Dartan turned to Shikamaru with questioning looks. Shikamaru smirked at this. "Shino's the best shooting guard, no doubt about that, but once he plays against Sasuke, he's nothing."

"So you're saying that this new kid could be the next Uchiha Sasuke?" Dartan asked, blinking. Shikamaru shrugged as Kiba and Naruto taunted the new kid. "Who knows? Gaara's probably the only one who can rival Sasuke, but then, last year, Gaara got his ass kicked by our captain. Thus, Gaara wants him to go down. I heard he's improved a lot compared to before."

"Man, this guy isn't falling for our taunts."

"Time." Zabuza called out, checking to see the two stop at the same time. Shino turned to Sai, and his brows furrowed a bit. Hinata was shocked at the scores, and said in a meek tone that Sai had won with a score of 78 against Shino's 76. Kiba groaned. "Just two points away!" A smirk made its way to Zabuza's lips as he turned to Kiba. "Then maybe you'd like to show him your skills?"

"Hmm… sure, I could use some warm-ups!" Kiba stretched his arms and legs, then took a deep breathe in. Sai turned to the coach for instructions. "Well, I want you to run around the court, ten times, and make sure you beat Inuzuka to have me approve your speed."

"Okay." Sai said with a smile, turning to face Kiba. "But why him?"

Sakura slapped her forehead. That sounded like an insult to S7's dog boy. Kiba twitched and glared at Sai, who looked back at him with an innocent look. "I'm the fastest in the team, mr. smiley-face! And don't you look down on me or even underestimate me!"

"Uh… sure…" Sai said, raising both hands up in defense as Kiba marched towards the starting point. Hinata was assigned to time Kiba while Sakura did the liberty of timing Sai. "On your mark," Zabuza said as they readied themselves. "Set," they lifted their heads, eyes full of concentration. "Go!" and they both took off at the same pace.

"Whoo! You go Kiba!" Naruto cheered.

"So, what about Inuzuka?" Jiro asked Shikamaru who raised a brow. "Did captain ever beat him at speed?" Shikamaru smirked. "You have no idea…" he said. "In our gang, we've got titles. I'm the lazy-genius, Naruto's the king of online games, Shino's the sharp shooter, Kiba's got the title of speed demon, Lee's the brawn, Neji's the soccer master, and Sasuke's AOTA."

"AOTA?" Dartan repeated, both him and Jiro turning their heads to the genius. Shino joined them on the conversation. "It stands for All Of The Above."

Jaw-drop.

"You mean..?"

"Yep, soccer, online games, speed, shooting, fighting, smarts, you name it! Aside from that, he's got everything a guy could wish for, except probably a troublesome girlfriend as well as the skill to draw. Culinary skills aren't too shabby, but he knows the basics." Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. _"I won't bother to tell them that Itachi's better though. And that I'm still smarter."_

"Whoa… sempai's cool…" Jiro murmured. Naruto smirked. "Yep! That's my best friend!"

"Idiot, I don't think he's forgiven you after what you did to Sakura." Shikamaru muttered. "Remember, he wasn't there in our meeting place, he kept avoiding Shino whenever he would start the topic about it, and he wasn't with us during lunch."

Naruto cursed, his eyes moving towards Sakura. Their eyes met and she looked down to avoid his look. Naruto sighed, feeling really bad. "I doubt he'll forgive me." Shino shook his head. "Sasuke's an understanding type of guy, so don't worry. And by the way," Naruto turned to Shino. "Sasuke said he'll come later."

"And the winner is Sai." Zabuza said, comparing the time he and Kiba had. "You're pretty fast, even though you defeated Kiba in only 33 seconds ahead, that's still good." He smirked when Kiba began cursing a string of profanities and walking towards the rest of the team. "You're next challenge, coaching."

"Huh?"

Shikamaru stepped up and stretched his arms. "It means forming a strategy against the opposing team." He took the clipboard from Hinata as Sai got one from Sakura. "Two teams will be having a practice fight, and we'll have to outwit each other until the time expires." Sai nodded in understanding and stared at his clipboard. "So, you're my opponent..?" he asked, his voice sounding unsure. Shikamaru raised a brow. "I may not look like it, but I'm the master of strategizing game plays here, if and when we run out of it."

"Oh," Sai said. "This ought to be fun."

And Zabuza motioned the two teams to play. Sai watched Shikamaru's team, at the same time, take note of his own team's strength and weaknesses. He admits, Shikamaru really had game plans that he had a hard time to counter, that is, until Naruto gave him an opening. Sai smirked at this and called for a time-out.

* * *

"Well, it's done; you and Inuzuka have officially switched classes." Sarutobi said, giving Sasuke a letter that he did and signed himself to show to the specific teachers of the cooking and computer class. Sasuke nodded his thanks and turned to leave, but Sarutobi called him back. "I was just wondering, whatever happened to your tag?" he asked, noting that Sasuke's identity as an S7 member was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke looked down and sighed. "It was with Sakura, but Naruto broke the chain, and said that I needed a new one." 

"And did you get a new one?"

"…No." he answered truthfully. Sarutobi smirked. "You've changed since you started hanging out with Sakura, am I sensing…" he trailed off, noting Sasuke's face that turned red. Sarutobi chuckled and waved a dismissive hand to him. "Let me know when you're going to race again." Sasuke gave a nod, bowed down in respect and then left the office without saying anything.

"_I've changed… huh?" _he thought, standing at the doorway before walking out of the building and heading towards the gym. _"Is that a bad or a good thing..?" _he passed by a lot of students, most of which were girls, who talked about a kid named Sai who beat the basketball team on his own. Sasuke stopped and turned to the students who were rushing to the gym, and he furrowed his brows to see the crowd that prevented him from entering the gym. _"This could take a while…"_

* * *

"Ouch…" Shikamaru said, seeing Naruto's defense break with Sai's offense. "That's a painful blow to his pride." Haku joined the rest of his teammates after having a fake test ability with Sai. "Why is that?" The lazy genius sighed. "Well, I didn't exactly mind losing to Sai's game plan, but as for Naruto, well, the last person to ever break his defense was, you guessed it, Sasuke." He yawned. "And our former team captain, Lee." Again, some of the team's eyes went wide; they had no idea their team captain, former and current, were _this_ good. "Yeah, and it took a while for Naruto to accept that fact. But being beaten thrice just lets him feel embarrassed and ashamed." Shino finished, watching as Hinata approached Naruto and offered a hand to him, which he ignored and brushed off. 

"No offense coach," Sai started, earning Zabuza's attention. "But I'm quite disappointed with your team." Sakura and Hinata sighed heavily, knowing that those words hit a nerve in Zabuza and the team's feelings. "I mean, I've heard a lot of great things with regards to Konoha's basketball team, and I guess I expected too much." The three S7 members noted Naruto's clenched and shaking fists that they sweat dropped and turned to Sai.

"O-Oi, don't go too far now newbie!" Kiba warned.

Sai blinked and turned to Naruto. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know that I'd pissed you off that easily." He ignored the gasps of the students that were gathered to watch and witness this special try-out, and he turned right in time to see Naruto ready to punch him, only to be held back by Shino and the rest of S7. Sakura chose this time to have a word with Sai. "Look, you're new here, so I guess you're not familiar with the gang, Shinobi Seven?" Sai blinked. "What..?"

Oh boy… he didn't know S7, which earned surprised looks from the crowd. "S7, for short, is the most feared gang in all the high schools of this district, and you just insulted their leader, so I suggest you just keep quiet, Sai-san, because it isn't wise to get on their bad side."

"What's wrong with telling the truth?" Sai asked.

Zabuza twitched. "Aside from that, you just insulted _my _team Sai, and besides, if you think you're done, well, you're very wrong, in fact, you still have one more player to face." Zabuza smirked, looking at Sai with a wicked smile. "You still have to face the team captain."

"Who is..?"

"Move, damn it!" they heard someone yell. Turning their heads to the entrance where the crowd quickly parted to give way, they saw Sasuke with a calm look yet S7 knew better with the tone of his voice. He stopped when he was able to set foot in the gym, staring back at everyone who looked his way, most importantly; he eyed Sai, who was with Sakura. Unconsciously, he clenched the strap of his blue sport's bag, surprisingly not crumpling the piece of paper Sarutobi gave him. Sasuke averted his gaze to his team, seeing Naruto being restrained by Shino, Shikamaru and Kiba, and also noting how the rest of his team were tired and sweating like hell, including S7. His brows furrowed a bit more, looking back at Sai who gazed back at him. _"This guy…" _he thought, sighing and walking over to Zabuza. "Sarutobi-sensei wanted to talk to me about switching classes with Inuzuka." He said, handing the paper to his coach for proof of his tardiness. "I see…" the terror coach said, reading the contents. Sasuke placed down his bag and picked up a ball. "Let me guess, special try-out for the new kid?" the team nodded.

"Hn, Sai, right?"

Sai gave a nod, giving a small smile to Sasuke. "I didn't know you were also part of the team."

Zabuza smirked. "Uchiha isn't just a part of the team." The coach said as Sasuke dribbled the ball while walking towards Sai. "I just heard what you said, Sai." His eyes turned serious as the team backed off, including Sakura. "And I don't like what you said about my team." And that's when Sai figured it out, causing him to smile. "You're the team captain, huh?" Sasuke gave a nod. "And if you think beating them is good enough, think again. Because until you win against me," he passed the ball to Sai who was a bit startled at the pace and force Sasuke put onto it. "You're _not _good enough."

* * *

"Hm?" Kakashi stopped reading his book as he heard students outside the faculty room saying something about the gym and Sasuke playing against the new kid who was supposedly good. "You coming?" a fellow teacher asked. Kakashi looked up to see Orochimaru with the rest of the faculty waiting for his answer. The history teacher closed his book, stood up and followed his co-teachers, an amused smile on his lips. _"I can't believe that this is the second time Sasuke managed to get me to not read my book."_

* * *

"Really now?" Sai asked. "Yeah Sai, because if there's one thing I don't like in a team," and with a blink of an eye, he already ran pass Sai after stealing the ball from the newbie's grasp. "It's those who are so full of themselves yet not attentive to the opponent." And he proved his point when he halted and pulled back, seeing Sai run pass him and stop with wide eyes when he saw Sasuke jump on the three point line, executing a perfect three-point shot. 

"Hell yeah! You go teme!" Naruto cheered, punching a fist into the air. Shikamaru smirked. "Uchiha Sasuke specialty number two: Stop and Shoot."

"Get my drift?" Sasuke asked, watching as Sai picked up the ball, still looking like he was recovering from the shock. He eventually smiled and turned to Sasuke. "Looks like the final game is going to be fun." He said. "I'll have to be more serious."

Zabuza watched as Sai showed greater speed and skill compared to last time, and he found the guy smiling, while Sasuke was focusing, not yet giving his all, but getting there. "Sakura," the pink-haired girl looked up at his tall coach. "What are the differences of Uchiha and Sai?" she looked at her record book, browsing through Sasuke's and Sai's. "Speed difference is about 10. Sai-san beat Kiba with 33 seconds as a gap, while Sasuke was ahead by 43 seconds. So when it comes to speed, Sasuke's faster." She flipped to the next page. "Shooting scores, Sai-san is ahead of Aburame-san by two points, Sasuke's ahead by five, and like in speed, Sasuke takes the cake in shooting."

"Defense..?"

"They're tied."

"Offense..?"

"Still tied…"

"Hmm…" Zabuza smirked. "Steals?"

"Sasuke."

"Rebounds?"

"Tied..."

"Game plan?"

"Sai's close but Sasuke's leading that part." Sakura closed the book and sighed. "Over-all, Sasuke has the upper-hand of almost everything, including originality in moves." Zabuza gave a nod. "So in other words, Sai is like a student of Sasuke's…" They continued to watch as Sasuke blocked and prevented Sai from scoring, giving the teen a hard time to break his defense. _"Man, Sasuke-san is tougher than I thought."_

"You lack focus." He commented, and without warning, attempted to steal the ball with his left hand. Sai saw this and pulled back, his eyes widening when Sasuke smirked and twirled to the left and was now behind Sai, where the ball was. He stole the orange ball and quickly ran to the other side of the court at top speed. Sai was able to catch him, but Sasuke caught the newbie off-guard when he threw the ball towards the board of the ring, causing it to bounce against it as he ran and jumped, dunking it in the ring.

"Wow…" Naruto and the rest of the team muttered.

Sasuke landed back on the ground in a half-kneeling position before standing up, his back facing the team. "Uchiha Sasuke specialty number five: Single Alley-oop." He turned to Sai and smirked. "So, Sai, did you learn your lesson?" Sai just stared at him before Sasuke turned around and walked towards the corner, all the while panting a bit. "Uchiha..?" Zabuza asked. "He's in." and that left everyone in a state of shock.

"Seriously..?" Naruto asked, turning to Shikamaru for confirmation. The lazy-genius nodded, not reacting too much as he stretched. "I don't see why not." And he turned to Sai. "Welcome to the team newbie."

* * *

"Nice game play." He looked up to see Sakura handing him a towel, as always, with a bright smile. Sasuke straightened himself up and took the towel after whispering a 'thanks' to her. "So, new move..?" she asked. Sasuke shrugged. "Just an experiment, it's the first time I tried it against someone who's close to my league." 

"Close..?"

"Yeah, he's got potential, but he could possibly reach mine, Lee's and Gaara's level." He finished wiping his sweat with the towel. "That is, if he wants to." She gave a nod and turned to Hinata who called her. "Anyway, I better start taking notes before your best friend does anything superb." She grinned. Sasuke smirked, remembering how Naruto reacts when his 'great moves' weren't recorded.

* * *

"Sakura, are you okay?" Hinata asked, looking at her friend who had her eyes half-closed and her cheeks flushed. "Sakura..?" she looked up and forced a smile. "Y-Yeah, just tired, I guess." Hinata gave her a worried look but Sakura waved it off and grinned. "Don't worry, I've felt worse." The Hyuuga girl nodded and placed a gentle hand on Sakura's shoulder before heading to the rest of the team to hand out some water bottles and towels. Sakura looked back down at her record notebook. _"Yeah, I've felt worse…" _she thought, sparing Naruto a glance as she saw him flirt with Hinata who blushed. She smiled a bit, happy that her friend gets to have a chance with the blonde guy. _"Oh well," _she sighed deeply and looked up to see Sasuke talking to Shikamaru, the vice captain of the team, about something. _"It's not a total loss…" _A smile found its way to her lips as she recalled her and Sasuke's moment last night in her room, right after he somewhat comforted her after Naruto's rejection. 

Her brows furrowed when she felt light-headed all of a sudden, that she placed a hand on her forehead to feel her temperature. "Normal…" she whispered, shaking her head a bit to get rid of all negative thoughts as she focused her attention on the practice game the team was having. Sai was in and also part of Naruto's side, leading to the two bickering at some point.

"You okay?"

She looked up to see Sasuke raise a brow at her, seeing her face… red.

"Yeah, why?"

"You look a little pale, and your face is red." He said, his brows knitting to form a worried expression. She smiled a bit, grateful for his concern. "I'm fine, really." She said. He stared at her for a while before giving a nod and heading back to the team for a short announcement. Sakura let out a sigh and drank some water from her bottle before finishing up her records.

* * *

One by one, the players left until she and Hinata were alone in the gym to lock the doors. "Well, another day ends." Hinata said, picking up her bag and waited for Sakura to fix her things. "Yeah, I can't believe that Sasuke-kun would let Sai-san in just like that. It shocked me, but I'm glad." Hinata stared at her for a while, blinking. "You just called Sasuke-san with a 'kun' attached to his name." Sakura turned red and laughed nervously. "Well, what's wrong with that? Isn't it the same as you calling Naruto with a 'kun' attached to his name too?" 

Hinata blushed. "Um, well…" Sakura giggled. "Anyway, I gotta go home, mom might start worrying again. See you tomorrow Hinata-chan!" they parted ways as she walked towards the school's exit, stopping when she saw Sasuke leaning against the gates, arms crossed and head lowered. "Sasuke..?" he blinked and looked at her, seeing her questioning look directed towards him. "Hn, come on." He said, picking his bag up as she followed, still confused. "You didn't have to wait for me, you know." She wasn't glancing his way, so she missed the blush on his cheeks. "Well, you have a stalker right? There's no telling what he could do…" he muttered. She smiled a bit and turned to face him, stopping as he did the same. "Thanks for the worry." She beamed, walking ahead. He stared at her for a while before quickening his pace to catch up with her.

"So, what do you think of Sai-san?" she asked.

"What's there to say?" he countered.

"It surprised me when you let him in the team so easily, even when you didn't lose to him, or-"

"Basketball isn't just about winning or losing Sakura." He said. "I just see potential in him, and he could use a bit of learning in working with a team that he just degraded." She smiled at him. "That's what I like about you," she commented. "You don't care too much about winning or losing, if only there were more guys like you, then maybe not too many girls would go after you."

"Hn, whatever."

She stuck her tongue out at him as they continued walking in silence. They reached her home but he noticed something different about her. "Thanks for walking me home Sasuke-kun!" she grinned and ran inside her home, missing the worried look he gave her. _"Sakura…" _he thought, before turning around and heading back to his apartment.

* * *

It was raining outside again, and she was bored. There wasn't anything to do, and she didn't know what to do. Her mom's on the phone, talking to her dad who's still away due to a business trip, none of her friends were online for chatting, and she did her assignments ages ago. A sigh escaped her lips as she lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her head turned, gazing at the single picture frame that was displayed on her desk, a picture of her and Sasuke kissing. Her face turned beet red once more as she looked away, recalling the events that had happened. 

Their accidental kiss…

Their bonding moments while playing on an outdoor court…

Their first… 'date'…

Their first _real _kiss…

Her first time to watch him race…

She did a lot of firsts with him, and she wondered if there'll even be more. A blush adorned her cheeks when rated scenes plagued her thoughts. She quickly sat up and shook her head. _"Mou, I feel dizzy…" _she thought, and it's not because of shaking her head multiple times. She sighed and placed a hand on her chest, eyes widening when she didn't feel Sasuke's dog tag necklace. Her mind raced back to Naruto's rejection, and without having second thoughts, she grabbed her coat and quietly left the house, heading back to the school grounds.

* * *

"Naruto, if this is about Sakura again, I don't want to-" 

"Chill Sasuke," he said, taking a sip from his coffee. Sasuke sighed and leaned back, looking outside the window of the café they were in. "I just wanted to say, well…" the blonde looked down for a while before looking back up at Sasuke. "Sorry if I've been acting like a jerk lately. I mean, you know my fear of loosing a friend." The team captain of the basketball team gave a short nod, motioning Naruto to continue. "I just thought that she was using you to get to me, since you're my best friend and all."

"Sakura isn't like that Naruto, you should know. You're an observer too, so you should be able to tell."

"Yeah, I know. I just had my emotion overcome me. Pretty careless huh?"

"You have no idea dobe." He smirked, seeing Naruto give him a glare. "Well, don't apologize to me," he said, shrugging and turning back to the window. "Sakura deserves your apology more than I do." He heard a chuckle come from his friend. "Do you think she'll forgive me?" Sasuke gave it a thought for a while. "I think it may take some time, but yeah, she will." He saw his best friend grin. "I hope so, I mean, I can't believe I acted like a jerk to her. It's really out of my character to do that." Sasuke narrowed his eyes a bit. "Yeah, that's why we were really worried when you weren't acting like yourself. I mean, when you heard of our accidental kiss, you laughed at me, and when you found out about our friendship, you suddenly…" he trailed off, sensing his best friend's uneasiness. "Look dope, it's not yet too late to apologize." He finished.

"Right, but… I feel really bad when I rejected her like that… it was hard to put up an act in front of her you know." He laughed a bit to lighten the mood, but stopped when he noticed Sasuke's distant look outside. "Teme..?" he asked. Sasuke snapped back and turned to Naruto with a questioning look. "Is something bothering you?"

"…" he turned back outside, staring at the dark grey clouds. "I'm not sure, but I think it's just a gut feeling I usually have on rainy days…" he shrugged it off and took a sip from his own drink. "Right…" Naruto nearly jumped when his phone rang. He took it out and answered it. "Hey dad." He greeted. "Right now..?" pause. "Oh come on! I'm with Sasuke!" another pause. "Yes I know it's a miracle we're able to hang out like before but get to the point!" Sasuke shook his head and smiled a bit at his best friend's action. This dobe will never change.

"Aww, geez…" he said after hanging up. "I guess we have to cut this meeting short."

Sasuke raised a brow. "Your frog's on the loose again?" he gave a grin and Naruto gave him a mocking glare and a sarcastic laugh. "Figures…" Sasuke murmured, also getting up. "Damn that frog…" Naruto said, putting on the hood of his grey jacket as Sasuke did the same to his black one. "See 'ya dope, and don't forget to apologize, okay?" Naruto was about to reply when Sasuke's phone rang. Blinking, he checked the name of the caller and tilted his head a bit. "Now why would her mom call me..?" he asked himself, earning a questioning look from Naruto.

"Hello..?" he asked. "No, she's not with me, why?" His eyes widened a bit. "Are you sure Haruno-san?" he asked again. Naruto noted the tone of Sasuke's voice, and he can't help but feel that something was wrong, terribly wrong. "Don't worry, I'll go look for her." He was silent for a while. "It's okay; I promise I won't stop until I find her." And he hung up. Naruto didn't let him leave until he told him what was wrong. "Sakura's missing."

* * *

"Where is it..?" she asked herself, looking for the silver tag. She knew that that tag meant a lot to Sasuke, since it was his identity as part of S7. It was a pretty tough job for her to climb the school's tall gates, but she was glad that her father took her wall climbing during the summer. Getting to the point, she still couldn't find the tag. _"Oh no, if I can't find it I will never forgive myself! It's my fault for not returning it to him! Now it's lost!" _she didn't care if her hands and nails were soiled with dirt, what she was after right now was to find that tag. _"Where is it!?" _she was beginning to panic after searching for the tag for a good fifteen minutes with no luck or trace, not to mention, under the rain, especially in her condition. _"I can't give up; I promised him that I'll take care of it..." _The rain continued to pour down on her hunched figure as she still searched. 

She stopped looking when she felt a bit light headed, that sickly feeling coming back to her. She shook her head, ignoring the drowsiness that attempted to swallow her and continued to look for the tag. She knew she'll get a high fever for this, but she could care less, she just wanted to find that tag, get it fixed and return it to Sasuke and probably keep their meetings and bonding moments to a minimal. _"Somehow, Naruto does have a point. Sasuke doesn't get to spend too much time with S7 because of me. I should just back off."_

Her right hand felt something hard and her eyes lit up when she saw what she was looking for. "Finally!" she exclaimed, clenching the tag and holding it close to her chest. "I finally found you!" she said and attempted to get up. But as soon as she did, her knees felt wobbly, and she collapsed on the ground, letting unconsciousness take over.

* * *

"It's raining cats and dogs, she could be anywhere!" Naruto exclaimed as he accompanied Sasuke in searching for Sakura. "I know, but I promised her mom I'll find her." He turned his head slightly to Naruto. "You know me Naruto; I don't break any of my promises." Naruto gave a big grin. "Then let me keep mine when I said I'd stick by you through good times and bad!" Sasuke managed to give the blonde a smile but it vanished when he looked back up ahead while they ran under the rain. _"Sakura… wait for me…" _he thought, not minding how his hood fell off, getting him wet in the process. 

"Teme, I think it would help if we call the gang! We can't cover this many ground with just the two of us, especially since we have no freaking idea where she is!"

Sasuke gave it a thought and nodded, still looking everywhere for any sign of the girl. Naruto took his phone out but still kept following his best friend, at the same time, also checking if there were any signs of a pink-haired girl. "Hey, Kiba! It's me!" he exclaimed. "Call the others, Sakura's missing! Sasuke and I are searching right now, so hurry!" a pause. "Where? I don't know, you guys decide where to look! Divide into pairs or groups of threes since we're uneven, and give me or Sasuke a call when you find her." He hung up after getting an okay from Kiba and told the news to Sasuke.

"Good." The MVP said, still alerting his senses despite the thunder booming.

* * *

_An hour and a half later…_

"Did you find her?" Sasuke asked when they met up with the rest of the gang. Neji shook his head and Shikamaru had the same reaction. Sasuke clenched his fists and looked down, annoyed that he can't find her. "Maybe we should call for the cops." Lee suggested. "Alright Lee, go call them, in the mean time, we'll keep searching." Sasuke said, earning nods from his friends as they dispatched and continued to look for Sakura.

"Damn, the things I do for friendship." He said, running a hand through his blonde hair as he passed by the school. He stopped and looked inside the gates of it. _"Could she… nah… I mean," _he looked up at the tall gates. _"Even Lee couldn't climb that, heck I can't." _he didn't know why, but somehow, he started to go over the gates, almost slipping at the process. _"Underestimating her would be bad, maybe she did managed to go over these gates." _And he jumped down when he was on the other side, a victorious grin on his lips. "Oh yeah..! Wait 'till I tell the guys!" he calmed down a bit when he remembered why he was there in the first place.

His feet brought him to the gym, checking to see if the doors were open. However, since they were locked, he cursed and decided to leave, only to stop when his eyes caught sight of a fallen figure at the side of the gym, as well as a mop of pink hair. _"Pink hair… Sakura!" _he ran towards her and tried to shake her. "Hey, Haruno..! Come on, wake up!" he said, shaking the girl. "Crap! You can't die right now! I still have to freaking apologize to you!" he pulled his hair in frustration and took his phone out, giving Sasuke a call.

"Teme! In the school, by the gym, hurry!" and he hung up, checking to see if Sakura was still amongst the living. He quickly pulled his hand back when he felt her forehead and neck scorching hot, as well as seeing her face flushed. _"Oh damn, she has a high fever!" _he thought, wondering why she was out here. When lightning stroked, he yelped and pulled Sakura to him, seeing her right hand clenching something. He tried to pry it off, but surprisingly, the girl didn't let go of it. He sighed and wondered what it was, until he found this spot familiar. This was the exact same place where he rejected her, and also the same spot where he broke Sasuke's dog tag's chain.

"No way…" he murmured. His blue eyes turned to see that in her clenched hand was where Sasuke's tag rested. _"Damn, this is my fault. Sasuke's going to kill me for this." _and speaking of Sasuke,he heard footsteps come from behind him, and he saw his best friend reach them at the same time, slide down on his knees right beside Sakura, his hand shooting up to her forehead. "Damn." Sasuke said, taking her from Naruto. "I knew something was wrong with her." Naruto looked down. "This is my fault…" Sasuke turned to him, then at Sakura. "Now's not the time, we have to get her out of this rain. I called the others and told them to head here, hopefully," he carried the girl bridal style, holding her closer to him as they both headed towards the gates. "Neji brought his car."

* * *

She stirred a bit, finding it weird that she was on a comfortable bed and not on the dirty soil. She blinked, seeing the whiteness of her ceiling as she slowly sat up and placed a hand on her head. "…my room..?" she asked herself, looking around when her eyes were able to adjust to the sunlight. "How did I get here..?" she got out of bed and looked at the door when it opened. Her mom entered with a tray. On it was a bowl that had steam coming from it, a tea cup, and a tea kettle. "I see you're awake dear." She said with a smile, stepping in and closing the door with her rear. "Mom…" she mouthed, watching as Kasumi placed down the tray on her desk. "Next time, please tell me where you're going," she said, looking at her daughter straight in the eye. "You had me worried sick!" 

"Sorry. I knew you wouldn't let me go out last night, especially with the weather…" she turned to her window to see that it was bright and sunny, a big difference compared to last night. Kasumi sighed deeply. "Well, you could have waited for the rain to cease; you just made your fever go higher. Heck, Sasuke barely got some sleep!"

"W-what?!" she asked, surprised that Sasuke was involved. Kasumi laughed. "He brought you here in his arms," a dreamy sigh escaped her lips as she placed a hand on her cheek and began daydreaming. "I almost imagined him in a tuxedo and you in a wedding dress…" Sakura twitched. "But," Kasumi continued, giving Sakura a stern look. "Because you were sick, I didn't have time to continue my imagination, and don't worry," she said. "Naruto explained everything to me."

"H-huh? Naruto..?"

"Yes, Naruto- that blonde haired boy with three _whiskers_ on his cheeks, blue eyes and Sasuke's best-"

"I know who he is but… he explained everything to you?"

"Uh-huh, why..?"

"It's nothing." Sakura lied, not wanting to tell her mom the incident of Naruto's rejection. "Well, besides that, while I thanked Sasuke for finding you, he told me that it was Naruto who found you, and then it was also him who called Sasuke. So I thanked Naruto. He was pretty worried about your condition."

"Sasuke..?"

"Yes, as well as Naruto."

"Really..?" she asked, her face turning a deeper shade of red, but her mom didn't notice, thinking that it was because of her fever. "Yes dear, now eat up and take your medicine, afterwards, get some rest." She gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be leaving you under Sasuke's care while I'm gone." Sakura's eyes widened as she gaped at her mom in disbelief. "W-what do you mean?!" Kasumi smiled innocently at her only child. "Did you forget? Your grandmother is sick too, and I have to go there later when Sasuke arrives to take care of her."

"Isn't auntie Rika with her?!"

"Your aunt has a job Sakura, and Rika may come home late. Besides that, you did say you're old enough to take care of yourself, but just in case, I decided to have Sasuke here to take care of you while I'm gone."

"B-But-"

"No buts, I also told him to bring some spare clothes in case I may not come back because of certain circumstances that may happen, plus the fact that your grandma's house is very far." Sakura mumbled something about "across the town" and sighed, giving in to her mother. "You're my mom, you know best…" she said, rolling her eyes when Kasumi beamed and hugged her very _understanding_ daughter. "I have to go pack now, call me if you need anything okay?" Sakura gave a nod and her mom left. Sighing, she got out of bed and sat down on her chair to eat the food that her mother prepared. _"I can't believe this is happening to me…"_

* * *

S7 watched as Lee practiced his lines on the stage during their free period. Naruto, Kiba, Shino and Shikamaru didn't bother to go to Computer class because the teacher gave them permission to watch the drama class rehearse since they wouldn't be doing anything. Sasuke's partner in cooking class, Sakura, was absent, so Kurenai excused him from class. He turned to Kiba who blinked and looked at him. "What?" the dog boy asked. "Why didn't you tell me that she was your partner..?" Kiba grinned sheepishly. "I forgot." Sasuke sighed and turned back to Lee who was currently saying his lines to Ino. "Hey, at least you didn't get a fan girl for a partner teme." Naruto said, grinning. The rest of S7 turned to face Naruto. "What?" he asked. "You mean, you don't mind?" Shino asked. Sasuke sighed and let Naruto do the talking and explaining of their meeting last night, just in time as Neji arrived. "Wow, looks like the idiot's back." He joked, earning a glare from Naruto. 

"You're here early…" Shikamaru commented, nodding towards Neji who nodded back. "Well, Ten-Ten had to go to the clinic because it's that time of the month, and she was having serious cramps." Neji explained. "Besides, we finished early since it was just chocolate cupcakes." He turned to Sasuke. "Right classmate?" he smirked a bit. Sasuke sighed and leaned back on the chair. "Shut it Hyuuga."

They watched as Lee stumbled on his lines and gestured the drama teacher for another take. Sighing, the group remained silent until Naruto spoke up. "It's been a while since we went Motocross racing." He said, turning to the group who looked at him. "When are you guys available?" Sasuke looked back at Lee who was being scolded by the drama teacher, Kisame, one of Itachi's old colleagues. "Not today Naruto." He said. The group turned to him this time as the blonde grinned. "Oh, Sakura right?" Sasuke gave a nod. "Her mom asked me to take care of her while she's away."

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru murmured. "That means I'm in-charge in today's practice…" he turned to Sasuke who smirked. "Why did you have to appoint me as vice captain anyway Uchiha..?" he asked in a lazy tone. "To put your lazy ass and brain to good use, you're wasting it on cloud watching."

He earned another 'troublesome' from Shikamaru as the group laughed. "Mind if I come along to apologize?" Naruto asked all of a sudden. Sasuke turned back to Lee to see him say his lines again. He faced Naruto who was waiting for an answer. "After practice." He said, earning a groan from Naruto who mumbled something about chance of skipping practice.

* * *

She heard voices downstairs and sat up, recognizing her mom's voice but not the other's. _"I wonder if that's dad…" _she adjusted her position so that her socked feet could touch the carpeted floor. Slowly, she attempted to get up, unfortunately, she felt her world spinning, and soon, she was falling face first, shutting her eyes at the process to prepare herself to meet the floor. 

The door opened, and her forehead got hit by it as she fell on her rear instead, her hand rubbing her sore head as she groaned in pain. "What are you doing out of bed..?" she looked up to see her mom with a stern look. "Uh…" she tried to find an explanation but couldn't. What _did_ make her stand up?

Kasumi sighed and shook her head, then stepped aside to let someone in. "I hope this isn't too much trouble…" she said. "It's fine Haruno-san." Sakura looked up and saw Sasuke standing there in his gakuran uniform, his right hand clutching the strap of his dark blue backpack. "Ah, ah, ah!" Kasumi said while waddling her index finger in front of Sasuke. "It's 'ka-chan' Sasuke." He sweat dropped. "Um… right… ka-chan…" he said in an unsure tone. "Well, now that you're here, I have to go!" she bent down and gave Sakura a goodbye kiss on the cheek and whispered a 'take care' to her before leaving.

Silence fell unto them as Sakura shuffled to her feet and lowered her head, her face red because of both her fever and embarrassment. "U-um… s-sorry to have you s-skip p-practice just for this…" she stuttered. "As what you said yesterday, I don't need it." He shrugged nonchalantly and looked at her. "Now, get back to bed." He ordered. She obeyed and walked over to her mattress, sitting on top of it as he closed the door behind him. "According to your mom, the guest room is unavailable due to renovation, I think…" he said, his eyes looking up to recall what Kasumi said. Sakura twitched. _"What the-?! She just wants me and Sasuke to share a room!" _she sighed and lowered her head, her shoulders slumped in defeat. _"Like I have any choice." _She turned back to Sasuke who was staring at her in a peculiar way. "What?" she drawled. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Sakura shook her head and plastered a smile on her face. "You look tired, just put your bag down over there and you can use the bathroom that's on your left." She pointed at the said room. "If you need anything, let me know!"

"Um… you're the one sick here…"

"Yeah, but you're staying here."

"Still…"

"Fine, fine." She said, lying back down. "I'm going to sleep."

"Hang on; I need to check your temperature first." He said, placing his bag down and walking over to her. She sat up again as he placed a hand on her forehead. "Still hot…" he murmured. Sakura blushed a bit, her mind racing at the possibilities of what he could've meant. "W-what..?" she asked. He looked at her and tilted his head a bit, his bangs following his movement. "What, what?" he asked. "What do you mean by that?" she asked. Sasuke blinked, earning a darker shade of red from her. _"Damn, he looks cuter like that!" _she thought. "Oh." He said, getting her point and smirked at her. "You didn't think I meant _you_ now, did you?"

Sakura looked away. "N-no." she said. Sasuke's smirk broadened and he leaned closer to her, his nose close to touching her cheek. "Yeah right, you wanted me to comment that you're _hot_?" She blushed again and stammered. "No I don't!" at this, she faced him, causing her lips to brush against his. They pulled away a bit, their eyes wide and faces red, not that Sakura's wasn't already. She avoided his gaze while he held his on hers. "Sakura…" he whispered, she slowly looked at him, their eyes meeting once more.

"You're not hot," he said with a small smile as she twitched. "But you're beautiful." And he pulled away, heading towards the bathroom, leaving her with a baffled expression. The doorbell rang and Sasuke stepped out of the bathroom right after he removed his gakuran. "Must be Naruto." He murmured. Sakura blinked and looked at Sasuke. "He said he wanted to talk to you." He explained before heading down the stairs. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Sai standing there.

"Yo, captain!" he greeted, giving a mock salute. Sasuke raised a brow. "Shouldn't you be at practice?"

"Yeah, but I told coach about Kurenai-sensei's request," he gestured to one book and a notebook in his hands. "Kurenai-sensei asked me to give these to Sakura, it's her assignment." Sasuke gave a nod and let him in. "Did Naruto tell you anything?" Sai stopped and thought for a while. "He mentioned something about coming over tomorrow instead." he noted Sasuke's look. "His dad." Sai said and Sasuke sighed and closed the front door. "Come on." He said, leading Sai to Sakura's room.

"You seem to know your way around here."

"Her mom kept inviting me over." Sasuke answered, opening Sakura's room door as she looked up at him with questioning eyes. "Sai brought you your homework." She turned to Sai who greeted her with a smile and she returned it. "Heard you were sick, I can't believe someone as smart as you would run out into the pouring rain without an umbrella!" Sakura giggled. "Sorry Sai-san, I guess I was too preoccupied to even bother about bringing one." Sai shook his head at this. "I wonder why…" Sakura gave a mocking glare to the new student who smiled yet again. "Well, we had a new lesson today, so I might as well teach you as you answer your homework." He said. Sakura nodded and got her things out, both forgetting that they weren't exactly alone.

* * *

With a sigh, he left the room without saying anything. It's not like they'll notice anyway. He didn't even know why he was feeling something like this, and he didn't want to think about that new emotion that was eating him up inside. _"Am I… jealous?" _he asked himself, pushing his back off of the closed door as he pocketed his hands and made his way downstairs. He picked up the phone in the living room and called his brother. 

Earlier, he asked Kasumi permission to use the phone when needed and the woman simply said that what's theirs is his. But still, he insisted that Kasumi would give him permit to use the household belongings. After all, he wasn't raised to be rude.

"Itachi?" he asked. "Yeah, it's Sasuke." He paused for a moment, letting his brother talk. "I need to ask you a favor, I'm in a friend's house right now, and I can't take care of Ame, do you think you could stop by and care for him while I'm gone?" he leaned against the back of the couch, his free palm resting on top of it. "Yeah, thanks bro." and he hung up. His eyes traveled back to the closed door of Sakura's room, hearing her faint giggles and Sai's voice. _"Why am I feeling this way..?" _he asked himself, looking down to contemplate on a few things. _"It's the same feeling that I have when Naruto challenges me on a race or duel. It's like I treat Sai as a rival…" _he furrowed his brows at this. _"But what type of rival..?" _he glanced to his left to see a portrait of the Haruno family, his gaze landing on Sakura. _"A rival in love..?" _

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 7: Playing Around_

Sasuke sighed and looked down. "Aa…" he said, going with the flow as she jumped and made a victory sign, all the while ranting as he looked at her. _"Just when I'm serious about these damn feelings, she thinks it's a joke."_ He shook a bit. _"It… hurts…"_

* * *

_A/N: Did Sasuke just considered Sai as his rival for Sakura's affection? Yup, he did. _


	7. Playing Around

_A/N: My mom slept early last night so I stayed up all night to finish and make a good edit out of it. So, if there are errors, sorry. At least I managed to escape to update for you guys!_

* * *

** Ironies of Life**

"Sasuke-kun..?" he stirred a bit, slowly opening his eyes to see green ones staring back at him. His onyx orbs gazed deeply into emerald eyes, the pink tips of her hair slightly touching his face as he blinked and adjusted to the brightness of the room. "What time is it..?" he asked in a sleepy voice. Sakura smiled a bit and pulled away. "Around 4.38 in the morning…" she whispered, observing his every movement.

He sat up and let what she just said sink into his mind. "Mou, it's too early…" he said, his right hand rubbing one of his eyes as he yawned. "Do you need something?" he asked; his voice barely audible. Sakura looked down at her lap. She was in a kneeling position on the futon that he slept on that was right next to her bed.

"Anou… are you going to school today..?" she asked, her face a bit red. Sasuke faced her with sleepy eyes, tilting his head a bit. "Why?" he asked back. She avoided his gaze. Whenever he tilted his head to the side, she always found it cute, no matter what his mood. "I wanna come with you…" He yawned again and scratched his head with his left hand, his right reaching out to her to touch her forehead. "You're staying; you still have a slight fever. It's better to wait for it to go away before you go back to school."

Sakura lowered her head again. "But…" she trailed off as he looked at her again. "I don't want to stay here alone. I'll be fine in school; I can stay in the clinic. I just don't want to be alone here…"

"Alright," he said. "I won't go to school then."

* * *

_**Chapter 7: Playing Around**_

"Ne, are you sure it's fine..?"

He gave a nod and served her a bowl of porridge, just like what Kasumi told him to feed her in the morning, including a tall glass of water. He sat down across from her, yawning and stirring his cup of coffee, also having the same food she ate. "You're not sick, right?" she asked. He gave a nod and took a spoonful of his food. "Then why are you eating porridge too?" Sasuke gave her a sleepy look. "Since you're sick, I won't eat anything else but what you will eat to keep you from getting tempted to eat other things that you're not supposed to eat because you're sick…" he muttered. Sakura sweat dropped, somewhat getting what he said and somewhat confused on what he just said. "Erm… okay…"

Sasuke stopped eating and raised his head to look at her as she ate, oblivious to his stare. _"Why did I feel something when Sai was here with Sakura..?" _he thought, eyes half-closing as he looked back at his bowl. Somehow, that strange feeling wasn't exactly foreign. _"Am I really jealous..?" _he thought, unconsciously clutching the spoon in a vice-like grip. Sakura noted this, and she tilted her head a bit, a habit she picked up from him. "Sasuke..?" she asked. He blinked and looked at her. "Is something wrong?" Sasuke looked back down again and shook his head, then continued to eat.

"Are you sure? You know you can talk to me about anything."

"…Who's Sai to you?" he asked out of the blue. "I mean, what's he to you? Aside from a friend that is..." She blinked, wondering why he asked that, but looked up to ponder on what he asked. "Well, a classmate." She said. "I mean, he's a friend, a classmate, a good artist, a good teacher and… he gets on my nerves at times."

"Do you think he likes you..?"

"Well, maybe as a friend, because I don't seem to see any signs of him liking me." She sighed. "Maybe he's the one who gave me the bear, chocolate and letter." She noted Sasuke twitch at this and she giggled. "Ne, why are you so uptight about it?" she asked, placing her hands on the table and standing up as she bent forward and grinned, her nose almost touching his as he backed away a bit, his face beet red. He just blinked though, while she continued smiling. "Are you jealous of Sai?" he looked away with an irritated glint in his eyes. "No." he muttered. "Yeah right!" she teased. "Why the hell should I be jealous of him?!" he asked back, turning to face her. "Maybe because you thought he likes me and that you actually have a thing for me!"

"Don't assume things."

"I'm not, I'm just stating facts."

"Facts that are not factual you mean."

"Oh come on, it's so obvious that you like me!" he turned red again. "With all your over-protectiveness when it comes to me, with the glare you send Sai when he's talking to me, with you being defensive about things that concern me, with-"

"Shut up!" he yelled, causing her to stop. "So what if I do?" he asked back, arms crossed and a calm glare on his face. Heck, if she was playing around, then he might as well ride along. Her eyes looked into his, confused as to why it led to this, before she grinned. "I get it, you're trying to catch me again, aren't you?" she asked in a teasing tone. "You fooled me twice already! This time, I'm not falling for it! Hah!"

Sasuke sighed and looked down. "Aa…" he said, going with the flow as she jumped and made a victory sign, all the while ranting as he looked at her. _"Just when I'm serious about these damn feelings, she thinks it's a joke."_ He shook a bit. _"It… hurts…"_

"Don't worry Sasuke," she said, patting his head as if he was a dog and gave him a bright smile as he returned it with a blank stare. "You're still one of my best friends." And she sat back down to finish her porridge. _"Yeah…" _he thought, lowering his head a bit as his bangs shielded his eyes that were beginning to be a bit watery, from her view. _"It definitely hurts…"_

* * *

"Let me see." He took the thermometer from her mouth and checked her temperature. "37.6," he said, placing the thing back down on the side table. "It's either you'll get better soon, or your body heat will rise again." He missed Sakura's flushed cheeks at the mention of 'body heat'. "So, just rest and drink lots of water so that you'll be up and running the next day." He blinked when he saw that her face was redder than usual. "Are you… okay?" 

"Y-Yeah!" she responded too quickly, causing Sasuke to raise a brow. She blushed when he squinted and lowered his head to her, his eyes staring into her own to see if she was hiding something. She blushed a deeper shade of red and looked away. "I knew it." He said. "W-what..?" he still maintained his stern look on her. "You turned away from me; that means you _are_ hiding something."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said. "Oh really?" he said, smirking. "Then I'll take a wild guess, _body heat_?" and his smirk widened when her face was turning redder as each second pass. "I didn't know you had a dirty mind there Haruno." He said, tapping her forehead with his index finger lightly as he got off of her. "T-That's not what I was thinking!" she yelled. "Yeah right," he scoffed. "Then what _were _you thinking?" he asked, his smirk not leaving his lips. "N-nothing!"

"Nah, I bet you were thinking of someone."

"N-no!"

"And maybe you were thinking that he's topless right in front of you."

"Yes- I mean, no!"

Sasuke turned to face her. "I heard a yes…" he teased. "No you didn't!" she cried, pulling the blankets over her nose and mouth. "Tsk, tsk." He shook his head a bit. "I wonder what your mom would say if she finds out…"

"Sasuke-kun!" she whined. He laughed. "I'm just kidding." He said, scratching the back of his head. "But seriously, who were you thinking about?" he asked, taking out some of his clothes from his bag as he prepared to take a bath. "…you." She whispered, turning to face the other way around. He stopped and his eyes widened, turning to look at her. "What..?" he asked. Sakura didn't answer him but just lay back down and closed her eyes. "I'm sleepy… good night…" she murmured, even if it wasn't night time.

His eyes softened a bit and he turned to the bathroom door and walked over to it. "…good night." He whispered before closing the door behind him.

* * *

"No, a million times, no!" Sasuke said in a tone of finality. The rest of S7 slumped their shoulders. "Oh come on Sasuke! You're my only hope!" Lee cried. "Lee, you entered the drama class so endure it." Sasuke answered, slamming his locker door shut. "And I am not planning to switch classes with you, nor do I want to have the leading role, mainly because it's Yamanaka who's playing the female lead!" He turned to glare at Naruto who was snickering. "But they won't bother to switch with me! Please Sasuke, I'm begging you!" he went down on his knees and begged Sasuke who continued taking some things he needed from his locker for his next class- Cooking. "I said no, and that's final." 

He then left the gang there. "I've done you guys too many favors, the least you could do is not abuse it." He added before fully leaving them. Neji sighed and shrugged, then ran after him since they were having the same extra class. "What's up with you lately? You don't usually get this worked up about favors."

"It's nothing." He said. Neji turned to him with a raised brow. "The tone of your voice says otherwise Uchiha." Sasuke stopped walking and so did Neji. "What's on your mind?" the senior asked. "Sakura." He answered and continued to walk. "I see… why?"

"Don't push your luck Hyuuga." He answered. "Just because I told you what's on my mind, technically who, doesn't mean I'll tell you everything."

"Why not? You always manage to get us to tell you everything when we have problems."

"I'm different from you."

"But it isn't fair when you tell us not to keep things bottled up while you do."

They reached their class and put on their aprons and bandanas, Neji tying his hair first before putting the headgear on. "You're just not the right person I have to talk to, sorry." And he left the senior there to head towards his partner in class: Sakura.

"Are you still pissed..?" she asked when he arrived. "None of your business." She sighed at his answer. _"I can't believe this guy…" _she furrowed her brows and poked him on the arm. He twitched but remained quiet. Again, she poked him, but still, he ignored her. She then started poking him non-stop until multiple veins popped at the sides of his head. "WHAT?!" he yelled at her, causing everyone to turn to them, including Kurenai who blinked at their way. He blushed and murmured a sorry before sulking. The others shrugged and continued with what they were doing. Kurenai shook her head and wrote a few things down on her record book.

Sakura sighed and continued to mix the batter for their brownies. He was busy with washing the utensils they used- at the same time prepare the pan for the brownies. "Chicken hair…" she murmured and he stopped with what he was doing, his head slowly turning to her. "What..?" he asked. "Nothing." She grinned. He sighed and turned off the faucet. "I don't want to talk about it." She frowned at this and poured the mixture onto the square pan, evening it out before handing it to him for him to place it in the oven. Afterwards, they waited for it to be cooked.

* * *

"Where is Lee?!" Kisame yelled, looking for the boy who will play the main role. Ino rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently, annoyed at waiting too long. "Lee!" he yelled again as the drama crew began to panic. S7, minus Lee, stared at the messed up stage. Papers were scattered and Kisame-sensei was starting to cuss. "Whoa! A teacher's cursing!" Kiba said, grinning. "You!" they froze when Kisame pointed at them- well, to one of them. "Inuzuka, you're just right for one part of the play!" he said. "No way am I playing the main role!" Kiba said, crossing his arms in an 'X' position in front of him and shaking his head. 

The teacher stared at him, blinked, and then laughed out loud, causing everyone to sweat drop. "What makes you think I'm letting you play the main role? I'm assigning you to play the best friend of the main character, Yuki!" Kiba blinked. "Oh… so, I don't have any… kissing scenes, right?" Kisame laughed again. "You? In a kissing scene? No way!" Kiba grinned. "Sweet! I'll take the job!"

"Then get your butt over there and start memorizing some lines!" Kiba gave a mock salute and ran over to the stage. Just when the gang decided to leave, Kisame called them back. "Just where do you think you five are going?!" he asked. Neji gave him a weird look. "To my soccer team." Kisame dismissed him and Neji left, wondering why Kisame even bothered asking them when they're not even part of the drama class. _"Lee, you are so going to pay for this trouble…"_

"Um… sensei, if you don't need us, we'll be going now…" Shino murmured; him, Shikamaru, Naruto and Sasuke turning to leave when Kisame called them again. "And where will you four head to?" Sasuke sighed and clamped Naruto's mouth with his hand to prevent the blonde from disrespecting the teacher and giving them another trip to Sarutobi's office. "We still have practice sensei. Coach might kill us if we don't show up."

"I see, well, get going, leave, except for you Uchiha."

"What? Why?" He asked.

"Sensei, he's our team captain!" Naruto cried.

"I know, I know." Kisame muttered. "But I need him to replace Lee."

Silence followed, afterwards…

"WHAT?!" they all yelled, including Shino and Shikamaru.

* * *

"Hoshigake!" Zabuza roared, stomping inside the theatre to see Sasuke holding up a script with one hand, the other in his pants' pocket as he looked at the lines in a bored way, ignoring Ino's wide grin. Kisame turned to Zabuza. "What..?" he drawled. "Why the hell is my team captain on the stage and not in the gym where he's supposed to be?!" Behind the coach was Sakura who was apologizing repeatedly to the drama class president. 

"That's because I asked him to replace Lee."

Zabuza twitched. "There is no way Uchiha will stay in this hell-hole!"

"Hell-hole?! You call this place a hell-hole when yours is actually worse!"

"You should see the gym right now! Due to Uchiha's absence, the team is slacking off! Heck, even the vice captain is!"

"_No surprise there…" _Sasuke thought, yawning as Ino continued giggling at his side. _"Shikamaru _is _a lazy ass…" _

"Well it's not my fault you're a bad coach!"

"That's not it sensei," Sakura said, sulking a bit when the two teachers turned to her. "U-Uh… well, you see…" she cleared her throat. "Coach can't torture the team because it's against the school's rules for a teacher to _hit_ a student to get them to do anything. And well, since Sasuke isn't around to get the team to practice…" she trailed off, her mind going back to the gym. Lots of basketballs were out of air, some were just being used for dodge ball or catch, the baskets were torn and the court was a mess. She sighed and twiddled her fingers.

"But the drama class is in need of talent! Lee is nowhere to be seen, therefore, a substitute is a must!"

"You've got tons of students here!"

"Yes but, they already have roles."

"Damn." Zabuza cursed.

"Sensei," they turned to Sasuke who was clearly annoyed with Ino's smiling face. "If I may…" he started, asking permission to speak as both teachers nodded. "I'd like to see what's going on there."

* * *

Hell… 

It was definitely hell…

Balls were scattered everywhere, the baskets were ruined, the floor was messy and slippery and some guys were walking in the gym wearing plain school shoes, further dirtying the gym.

"What… the… hell?!" Sasuke yelled, causing everyone to stop, stiffen and stare at their team captain. He was not very happy, and the smirk on Zabuza's face just made it worse. Sakura saw Hinata having a hard job convincing some of the players to practice since she was being ignored. _"Whoo boy, this is just what we need, an already pissed-off Uchiha to be pissed once more."_

Sasuke had a glare on his face as he took his shoes off and entered, picking up a ball on the way as everyone waited for what was to come. He stopped and stood still, his hand still holding the ball as he looked at everyone. "Gather." He said, and everyone did, rushing to form a group before the captain. His eyes searched the crowd. "Nara." He called as Shikamaru muttered a 'troublesome' under his breath and stepped forward, walking over to Sasuke's side. "What the hell happened?" he asked, his tone too calm for everyone's own good, but to Zabuza, it was heaven- for when he sees his team cower before the captain, he feels like he's in heaven.

"Well, when we arrived, the team asked where you were and Naruto told them that you were in drama class, Shino explained everything and they all suddenly did their own thing- except for a few who shot some hoops."

"Namely?"

"Shino, Haku and Sai."

"_Sai…" _he thought, recalling that he considered the newbie his rival. "The mentioned three, get out of the group and keep practicing." The three did and left the crowd as the team gulped inwardly. Sasuke's eyes caught how Idate shook, and he smirked inwardly, knowing that the boy actually feared him whenever he was in this mode. "Morino." He called, causing Idate to stiffen and step forward. "What were you doing?" he asked, twirling the ball in his hand with his index finger, his eyes not leaving Idate's form.

"T-talking…"

"With who?"

"J-Jiro and D-Dartan…"

"You two," he called and the two stepped up beside Idate, heads lowered. "I want the three of you to jog around the court until I tell you to stop." He ordered. "Now." And they did, not wanting to disobey. Zabuza was definitely enjoying this. "Uzumaki." He called his best friend who sighed and stepped up. "What about you?"

"Err… I was with Hinata…"

"Hn. And?"

"I was talking to her."

"Hinata?"

The girl nodded, supporting Naruto's answer. "Alright, why weren't you practicing then?"

"Well, the others were goofing around, and you know me…"

Sasuke sighed and threw the ball towards him. Naruto caught it but flinched at the force and impact. The whole team turned back to Sasuke. "Look, I am not in a good mood right now, and seeing as most of you were slacking off just made me a lot more pissed." He paused, sensing how some were shaking a bit. Yup, the coach was enjoying himself. "Those who are wearing their school shoes, take them off, get changed into your jerseys and clean this place up." No one moved. "NOW!" and they did. There were only about three left, including Naruto and Shikamaru. "As for the three of you…" he eyed them. "Yakushi, Uzumaki and Nara," they turned to him, Kabuto adjusting his glasses as he gulped. "Fill the balls with more air."

"What?!" Naruto whined. "I mean it." Sasuke said, his glare not leaving his face. "Now." And the three sighed and gathered the orange balls and started pumping some air into them. Sasuke eyed the whole gym, seeing as everyone was doing what he told them to do, ignoring the awes of the drama class. Zabuza approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Great job." He commented. "Sensei, you do know that they're also afraid of you when you get mad."

"Yeah, unfortunately, they don't feel threatened."

"Right," he turned to the team manager. "Sakura." She blinked and approached him. "I'm leaving you in-charge then, and tell the team that they should follow sensei, otherwise, they'll undergo a tougher punishment." Sakura nodded, her eyes not leaving him as he turned around and headed towards the door. "Morino, Jiro, Dartan, you can stop running now." The three collapsed and panted- 23 laps were nothing to joke about. "I hope you learned your lesson." They nodded. He turned to the cleaning crew who were watching. "Same goes to all of you, got it?" he earned nods and he left.

* * *

"No way!" Sasuke said. Kisame slapped a hand on his forehead. "Come on Uchiha! This is part of the play!" he yelled. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "There is no way I'm going to kiss Yamanaka." He said again. Kisame frowned and gripped onto the script he was holding. "This is a play! You have to!" 

"I said no. Geez, it's bad enough you pulled me off of the team just for this!"

"It's only temporary until Lee gets back!"

"In case you haven't noticed, it's been a day and Lee hasn't come back."

"What I meant was that you're only off the team until this play is done! We only have two days left before show time! I need this scene to be rehearsed!"

Sasuke frowned at this, not minding the red tint on Ino's cheeks. "Then get someone else." Kisame fumed. "I know your brother Uchiha…" he said evilly. Sasuke's eyes widened. "You… wouldn't…" the drama teacher chuckled evilly. "You should know, we're like S7 when we were in high school, you do remember our name, right?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Konoha High's feared gang back then was Akatsuki, you're in the past, we're the present. And no, I'm still not kissing-"

_Thud._

They all turned to Ino who fainted on the stage. "Yamanaka..?" Sasuke raised a brow as Kisame cried. "I can't believe this! Now we need another female lead!"

"Relax sensei, she's just sick." The drama class president said, feeling Ino's forehead. "But that's still bad! If she's sick then that means she can't play the part!"

"Then find another girl, I'm sure anyone would gladly take the part if they find out it was Uchiha Sasuke playing the main role." Sasuke stiffened at this, imagining hordes of girls sign up. He saw Kisame's eyes gleam and that just made him want to sulk and hide behind a big rock. "Ano… sensei..?" they turned their heads to the door of the auditorium to see Sakura poke her head in. Kisame's eyes seemed to have a certain glint in them that Sasuke somehow didn't like. "Yes Haruno?"

"Can I talk to-" she stopped when she saw Ino on the floor. "Ino!" she yelled and barged in, rushing up the stage and asking the class president what had happened to the girl. Kisame squint a bit, eyeing Sasuke then Sakura until he smirked. "Haruno," Sakura looked up. "How would you like to do Yamanaka a big favor?"

"Anything!"

"Anything..?"

"Yes, anything!"

Kisame grinned. "Take her place."

Silence fell… until…

"WHAT?!"

* * *

"Hoshigake Kisame!" everyone turned their heads to the door to see Zabuza with the rest of the team enter the auditorium. "First you take my team captain and now you're taking my team manager! What did I ever do to you?!" Kisame raised a brow. "Nothing, it's just that the two of them look good together, better than Lee and Ino." Zabuza looked at the stage to see Sasuke and Sakura holding their scripts and looking at them. "Well, that I agree, but that doesn't mean you can take them off the team! We've got a big game ahead of us against Sand!" 

"It's not like Konoha's going to loose if Uchiha doesn't practice."

"But he might-"

"Nonsense! This will only take three days!" Kisame turned back to the two. "Alright, let's start again from this scene." He clapped his hands twice and everyone went to their respective places as Sasuke and Sakura were left on the stage alone, the lights a bit dim. "Hime-san, I-"

"Kyo," she said, reading through the script and putting it down. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Sasuke glanced at his script and lowered it down. "Shinkai then," he whispered, loud enough for the audience to hear. "I want to tell you something, but…" he looked away, pretending that he was embarrassed. "…I can't."

"Why not Kyo?" she asked.

"You and me…" he murmured. "It's just not right."

"What do you mean by that?!" she yelled, startling Sasuke. "Go straight to the point Kyo!"

"…I love you." He said, loud enough for her to hear but soft enough to add the effect of compassion in it. S7 seemed to have stared long and hard at the two, including Ten-Ten, who just arrived with Neji from soccer practice.

Sakura didn't say anything for a while before she looked down and smiled. "What's wrong with that?" she asked. Sasuke turned to her with the look of disbelief. "Don't you see? You're a princess that I'm supposed to protect! I can't love you! I can't be with you unless it's to guard you!" Shinkai shook her head and looked up at him. "Kyo, when you're in love, there is no right or wrong, just the matter of doing what you want and what you need to do." She stepped forward and blinked, forgetting what her next line was as she quickly browsed the script. She looked up and closed her eyes. "Kiss me."

"What..?" Sasuke choked out. Sakura's eyes snapped wide open and read the script again, her face turning red as Sasuke also looked at his. "A kissing scene?!" they both exclaimed, looking at Kisame with red faces and wide eyes. "Yes, now why did you stop?! It was already wonderful! Continue!"

"But-"

"No buts Haruno! I need to see if your kiss is convincing."

"Can't we just do that on play night?!" Sasuke bargained.

"No. I need to see it."

"Sensei-" they cried but Kisame glared. "It's not like this is your first time to kiss." The two blushed and glared back. "That was an accident!" Sakura yelled. "It's not a real kiss!"

"Oh really?"

They froze when they heard Kakashi's voice as he entered the room. "I do believe that wasn't the only kiss you two shared." Sasuke twitched. "The wedding booth thing, we were forced." Kakashi only grinned at Sasuke. "Speaking of the wedding booth, what _did _I tell you to convince you to kiss her that time?" Sasuke flushed, remembering his kiss with Sakura on their first date. "So, accidental, forced, _that _one and acting. Different types of kissing, go on." He said, smiling behind the mask he wore.

Sasuke sighed and turned to Sakura. "Might as well get this over with." She blushed and shook her head. He narrowed his eyes a bit. "Come on Sak, I don't want this to take too long, I wanna get it over with." She looked away, seeing Sai seated a few seats away from the stage with a grin. _"Crap, he's here and he's going to make fun of me again." _Sasuke took note of this and looked at where she was staring at. He unconsciously clenched his fists as his eyes narrowed to a glare. "Look," he said, turning back to Sakura who looked back at him. "Just pretend I'm someone who you really like."

"_Idiot! I don't need to do that!" _she thought. "…but…"

"Stop making this harder…" he muttered, exasperated. "I'm really not in the mood."

"_Is he still mad..?" _she looked down and sighed. "…fine." And then closed her eyes and lifted her head up at him. "Kyo," she began. "Kiss me…" Sasuke looked down to the side a bit, as if debating whether his character should kiss the princess or not. "…is that a request or an order?" he asked. "Both." She said, recalling her lines as he leaned down and slowly closed his eyes. He saw her make a move to step back that his left arm instinctively wrapped around her waist as his right hand held her chin to keep her in place. No way was she going to escape when he's so close to finishing this scene.

* * *

Sakura felt his arm and hand that she froze, especially when his lips kissed hers in a gentle manner. He pulled away shortly and took a few steps back, turning to Kisame with a frown. "Satisfied..?" he asked, not noticing how she flinched from the tone of his voice. The drama teacher stared at him as he suddenly had puppy dog eyes and cried. "That was such a touching moment! I love your style better Sasuke! Especially the way you pulled her to you! The two of you are natural born actors! Good job!" 

He completely ignored Kisame and glanced at Sakura who caught the way he looked at her before he left, jumping down from the stage and picking up his bag. "I'm going home." He murmured as Kisame continued ranting, S7 looking at him with questioning eyes. He passed by Sai who gave him a smile to which he returned with a slight glare before completely leaving the place. _"Damn it. Why does it hurt so much when she pulled away even before I kissed her?" _his eyes furrowed even further as he clenched the strap of his backpack tighter. _"Why does it hurt so much..?"_

"Oi, Uchiha!"

Sasuke stopped upon hearing Kisame's voice that he slowly turned his head to him, only to see the basketball team and drama class tailing behind. "What do you want this time?" Kisame grinned. "It's time to have dinner, on me!"

* * *

He wondered why he was here when he wanted to be alone. Sakura was right next to him, but he can't talk to her because she was talking with Sai. Sasuke sighed at this and took out his phone, afterwards, started to play some games on his mobile. He could hear some of the students they were with, including his team, Zabuza and Kisame, talking, laughing, and having the time of their lives. He, on the other hand, trapped himself in his own bubble, ignoring everything around him. 

"Sai!"

"I'm serious!"

He twitched; he couldn't help but clutch his phone tighter that he realized too late that it was crushed. Impossible huh? But then, if he can crack a wall with just a punch, surely this would be nothing right?

"Teme?"

Actually, it wasn't _nothing_. Especially since he just destroyed his phone- again; for the tenth time that month too. "Sasuke..?" he blinked, looking up to see everyone staring at him and his broken cell phone. He shrugged and stood up, turning around as he headed out of the restaurant. "Hey, where are you going?" Kiba asked. "My phone just died, where do you think am I heading?" he asked back, pushing the glass door open.

Sakura tilted her head a bit, suddenly recalling what she was supposed to give him earlier. "Sasuke, wait up!" she called, getting up from her chair and turning to Sai. "You coming?" she asked. Sai smiled at her and shook his head. "Nah, this is your chance to talk to him." And she gave a nod, and then left the gang, running out the door to catch up with Sasuke.

"Oi! Uchi-Suke!"

He entered a cell phone store which he and his friends always go to whenever they want to buy phone accessories or get their phones fixed. As for him, well, he was going to buy a new one.

* * *

Sakura rushed inside and bumped into Sasuke who almost fell forward if he hadn't balanced himself in time. He turned to glare at the person who bumped him, only to have his eyes wide a bit to see Sakura there, rubbing her rear since she fell on her butt from the impact. _"She needs to work on her balance." _He thought, sighing deeply and offering his hand to her. 

She looked up at him as he waited for her to take his hand. She did and he pulled her up, letting her hand go and shoving his own hands back in his pants' pockets. Sakura wondered briefly why he was acting different lately.

"Back again, eh Sasuke?"

The two turned to the middle-aged man behind the counter. He had a pair of glasses on and a smile on his face as he leaned on the counter with both arms. "So, what can I get you this time?"

"Depends on what your latest model is." He answered, looking at the glass counter where some accessories were displayed. "Ah, I got just the thing for you." The man replied, leaving him for a while to get the new model. Sasuke glanced at Sakura who was eyeing some phones that were displayed, her eyes were widening as she read the price. He also caught her looking at one particular phone with longing or interest.

His eyes also took notice that she still wore the necklace he got for her, and a small smile managed its way to his lips for the first time that day. He turned back to the counter when he heard the man come back, holding a box which contained a phone – missing his chance to see Sakura notice that he smiled at her, causing her to blush a bit and also give a smile. _"Maybe he's really jealous of Sai," _she thought, turning to Sasuke. _"I mean, I've been spending a lot of time with Sai lately," _she shrugged and walked over to him and peered over his shoulder. _"It's really unfair on his part, especially since he's always been there for me."_

"That will be 60,000 yen Sasuke."

Sakura's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as she snapped her head to Sasuke's direction, staring at the credit card he held which he handed to the man. "S-sixty thousand?!"

"Yeah, it's on sale." Sasuke murmured, taking the paper bag the man gave him which had his new phone in it. He was about to take his credit card back when Sakura pushed him away and stared at the man who sweat dropped. "You have got to be kidding me! Does he always purchase expensive stuff?!"

"Err… only when they're on sale. Why?"

"But that's a lot of money!"

"Sakura…" Sasuke muttered, blushing a bit at the stares they're getting from the people inside. "Yes, well, he _is _Uchiha Sasuke, so… I don't see why he can't buy items that are on sale-"

"It's still a waste of money to buy-"

"Sa-ku-ra!"

She turned to Sasuke who was glaring at her, his cheeks were red from embarrassment and she looked around, laughing nervously at everyone who was staring at them. "Wei," the man turned to Sasuke. "I'd like another one, same model." He said, causing Sakura to turn to him as Wei left to get the said item. She suddenly grabbed him by the collar and shook him. "What the hell are you doing Sasuke?! Wasting money?!" he sighed and turned to Wei who handed him the same paper bag. "You still have my credit card right?" Wei nodded as he punched in the required numbers and words before swiping the card and handing it back to Sasuke, who signed a receipt afterwards. "Thanks Wei, sorry for my friend's… outburst."

"That's alright Sasuke." Wei said, chuckling as Sasuke dragged Sakura outside the store, all the while scolding the girl for making such a scene in front of a lot of people. "Look, don't worry about the prices of the things I buy okay? I don't use my allowance all the time, so I have enough money saved."

"But sixty-thousand is too much! Plus, you bought another one, which equals to-"

"A hundred and twenty thousand, I know."

She stared at him. "What?" he asked. "You're fast for someone who's part of class C..." she said, quickly covering her mouth when she realized what she said. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to- I mean, what I was trying to say is-" she got cut off when he sighed. "I'm only in class C because of the gang fights weve had. If I had been a normal student, I would've been your classmate."

"Really?"

"That's what Sarutobi-sensei said..."

"Oh..." she coughed. "But getting back to the point, you're still wasting too much mo-"

"Sakura…" she turned to him. "My father owns a lot of business. Ranging from restaurants to hotels, and possibly a cell phone company if he wants to, so don't worry okay? Furthermore, I'm not a spendthrift guy, unlike Kiba and Lee." He handed her the other paper bag. "Here, it's got everything you want in a cell phone. Built-in camera, MP4 player, internet…" She blinked, staring at the paper bag before looking up at him. He looked away, not wanting to get caught in her eyes. "I saw you staring at the phones in the store a while ago, and thought that you might want one."

Her eyes began to water as she lowered her head, a small smile on her lips as she tried to suppress her sniffles. "You… shouldn't have…"

"I know, but I wanted to." He said, turning to her. Sakura looked up at him and gave a smile, shocking him when he saw tears falling from her eyes. "..Sakura?" she tackled him to a hug, and again, he nearly lost his balance if he hadn't caught himself and her. "Thanks…" she said against his chest. He only looked down and slowly returned the embrace. "Anytime…"

* * *

He stared at the paper he had and leaned back his head against the tree, his gaze lingering at the leaves above him that provided him shade. He closed his eyes for a while, savoring the cool air that blew against his face. "Our little conversations…" he started to sing the song. "Are turning into little sweet sensations… And they're only getting sweeter every time." A small smile made its way to his lips as he opened his eyes and got up, not minding the kittens that either watched him or played around. "Our friendly get togethers are turning into visions of forever," he stopped and took out his pen from his pocket to write it all down. 

"If I just believe this foolish heart of mine," he whispered with a tone to it. "I can't pretend, that I'm just a friend, 'coz I'm thinking maybe we were meant to be." He set the paper and pen aside as he sat down on the bench and looked straight ahead. "I think I'm falling, falling in love with you…" he continued to sing the song in a soft voice. "And I don't, I don't know what to do…" To be honest, the song really reflected his life and feelings for a certain person, and the lyrics were just perfect for it. "I'm afraid you'll turn away, but I'll say it anyway."

He was unaware of someone approaching. The person was getting closer, and when he closed his eyes to continue…

"I think I've fallen… for you…"

"Yo, Sasuke!" He blinked, turning his head behind him to see Naruto. "Still working on that song?" Sasuke sighed and leaned back on the back rest of the bench. "Yeah, what about yours?" he asked. The blonde jumped from behind the bench and sat beside his best friend with a big grin. "All done- wanna hear it?"

"Sure."

Naruto cleared his throat. "Open up your eyes and take a look at me," he began, bopping his head to the rhythm of the song. "If the picture fits in your memory, I've been dreaming by the rhythm like a beat of a heart, and I won't stop until I start to stand out." He nodded his head to the tune in his mind as he stood up and started dancing. "Stand out!" Sasuke sweat dropped at this. "Some people settle for the typical thing, living all their lives waiting in the wings. It ain't a question of 'if', just a matter of time, before I move to the front of the line!"

"Er…"

"And once you're watching every move that I make, you gotta believe that I got what it takes!"

"Naruto…"

"To stand out!" he yelled, jumping on the bench and doing his own concert. "Above the crowd, even if I gotta shout out loud! 'Till mine is the only face you'll see, gonna stand out- 'till you notice me."

"Naruto…"

"If the squeaky wheels-"

"NARUTO!"

The blonde stopped and turned to Sasuke, blinking. "What? Why'd you stop me from my concert?" Sasuke sighed and slapped a hand on his forehead. "Idiot, we're going to be late for class. We only have five minutes left." He stood up, picked his bento box and back pack, and then ran off to the school building, Naruto tailing behind.

"Geez, you don't have to rush, I'm sure Gai-sensei will understand!"

"I'm not taking any chances dobe." He said, entering the classroom before the bell. Naruto panted as he walked in, following his best friend to their seats. "Looks like you two made it." Hinata greeted with a smile. Sasuke gave a nod as Naruto quickly shoved pass him and went to Hinata, grinning and doing some of his moves. Sasuke rolled his eyes at this and headed to his chair. "Hey Sasuke-kun." He ignored Ayaka and sat down, placing his bag on the floor as he read his lyrics, checking if he'll edit some of the words.

"Um… Sasuke..?"

The Uchiha teen looked up to see Sakura, only she wasn't looking at him, but she was right in front of his desk, her hands behind her back. "What's up?" he asked. "Well…" she blushed a bit and took the small semi-flat box in her hands, showing it to him. Her head was still turned to the other side as Sasuke blinked and looked at Sakura. "What's this?"

"Open it." She said, still blushing. He looked down and pulled onto the navy blue ribbon, aware of the anxious stares that some of their classmates were giving, including his fans' curious glares. He placed the ribbon on the table and opened the box. In it was his dog tag, the chain was brand new, and the tag itself reflected his image like a mirror. "You-"

"You told me to take care of it. So, when the chain broke, I bought a new one and also shined the tag to make it look brand new since it got dirty." Sasuke looked at his tag and smiled, shocking his fans since he has never smiled to anyone before, or at least, they've never seen him smile. He raised his head to look at her. "Thanks Sakura." He put the necklace on and had the tag inside his gakuran top when she gave a nod and headed back to her seat, noticing Naruto and Hinata giving her suggestive grins.

Sakura looked back at Sasuke who was eyeing a paper and editing some of it. _"Rats, I wasn't even able to get a glimpse of his song." _She sighed and sat down, letting her left cheek rest on her left palm as she and the class waited for Gai to arrive.

* * *

Kisame had tears flowing freely from his eyes as he watched Sasuke lay there in a weakened state in Sakura's arms, along with Kiba's call for the medics. "Kyo-kun…" Sakura whispered. Her eyes were also glossed with crystal tears as they dripped onto Sasuke's face. He gave a weak smile and slowly lifted his hand to touch her cheek. "Shin…kai… don't cry…" he said, pretending to be dying. 

"Damn it! Where are the medics?!" Kiba yelled, walking around the stage and frantically searching for any doctors in their team. "…I already told you…" Sasuke flinched, pretending that his wound stung. "…it hurts me to see you crying…" he managed a small smile as Sakura held onto him, her other hand over his, gripping it tightly. "Kyo… you baka! How can I not cry?! You're dying!"

"I may be dying, but my love for you will still live on…"

_Sniff. Sniff._

The rest of Shinobi 7, plus Sai, turned to Kisame, sweat dropping at the way the drama teacher bit onto his handkerchief, his eyes like a puppy's.

"Shinkai…" he wiped her tears away. "Smile… for me…I want to see you smile…" she closed her eyes as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "I… can't… I can't!" she cried. "Yes you can," he assured her, pretending to feel like his life is draining from his body as he continued with his dying act. _"Damn, I don't know how long I can keep this act up! She looks like she's really crying and I can't stand it anymore!" _he shut his eyes tight, acting as if he's in pain as the rest of the crew watched in awe. "…Hime… please, smile for me…" he requested. "…smile as if it'll keep me alive." Slowly, her lips were forming a small smile, though small, it was still a smile.

Sasuke returned it with one of his own and slowly closed his eyes. "Thank you…" and he dropped his hand as if he really died. Sakura's eyes widened at this as she looked at Sasuke. "Kyo..?" he didn't answer. Kiba looked alarmed and slowly went towards the two lovers. "Kyo-kun..?" she asked, her lips forming a smile. "Kyo, I'm smiling right now, please, open your eyes… stop kidding around…" he didn't move. Her lips turned upside down as she shook him. "Kyo-kun…" she whispered and suddenly pulled his body to her and cried in a louder voice. "Kyo!!"

The narrator, the one who replaced Shikamaru since the lazy genius quitted when he found out that Ino was part of the class, took his cue to enter. "And as the princess Shinkai cried over her dead lover, so did the sky, droplets of rain falling from the dark clouds, as if mourning over the noble Kyo's death."

"And cut!" the president of the drama class said, wiping some bits of her tears as she got up and approached the three. "Great acting guys, the audience will be moved with tears for sure!" she said. Sasuke sat up and moved his head from right to left, stretching his arms as well. "At least practice is over for now…" he muttered. Sakura wiped her tears with the sleeves of her uniform, only to be stopped by Sasuke's hand. "Eh..?" she asked. "Don't do that," he said. "It could cause damage to your eyes." He took his white handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped her tears.

He stopped when he felt her eyes on him that he too, looked at her. Their eyes met and locked onto each other, daring the other to look away but neither did. His gaze was intent, and she could feel her cheeks heating up from his onyx orbs that she looked down, a small smile on her lips. He smirked at her shyness, finding it unusual of her since she had an outgoing attitude, but never the less, cute. "You sure know how to act." He said, commenting on her tears.

She laughed a bit. "Well, all I had to do was imagine you stealing my bear."

Sasuke blinked, tilting his head to the side, earning another blush from her as her inner self squealed.

"_Oh my God! The hotness! Lemme at him!" _her inner yelled, attempting to charge at Sasuke. "What bear?" he asked. "The bear my stalker gave me," she said, looking down. "I know that I don't like this whole thing one bit, but the bear's just too cute, and I sleep with it every night, so I got used to it being by my side." He was silent for a moment before giving a nod and getting up. "Come on, it's pretty late." He said, changing the subject. She stood up as well as they both headed backstage to get their things.

* * *

"I can't believe that tomorrow's going to be play night." She said, smiling a bit. "I'm kind of nervous and excited at the same time." Sasuke turned to her. "Really?" she nodded and smiled at him. "Yeah, it's been a long time since I last performed on stage you know." She admitted. "I used to love acting when I was a kid, since I get to be someone else and do things that I don't normally do." 

"Hn…" he responded. "Then why didn't you join drama class in the beginning?"

She stopped as he did so as well, blinking, wondering why she suddenly halted. "I heard that Ayaka was planning to join, so I didn't bother. That's why I was so surprised to see her in music class. I wanted to avoid her as much as possible, but…" her tone got softer that he had to lean closer to her in order to hear her voice. A smile made its way to her lips as she looked up at him. "Never mind, it's not important anyway." She continued to walk but his hand grabbed her wrist, preventing her from moving.

"…But you can't get rid of her, especially when she knows that you and I are spending a lot of time together," she slowly turned her head to him, seeing his eyes looking at her intently. She felt her cheeks heat up once more, and her heart beat increase. "We spend too much time to be close enough to be considered as lovers…" she remained silent and forced a smile. "Y-yeah," she said. "You just read my mind…" for a moment, they remained standing still, eyes locked onto each other, hands still in contact; it was only when Sasuke had leaned closer to her did Sakura gain back her senses and turned her head away. "Hey, my mom might start to worry, I… better go inside now." She murmured. "…good night and… thanks for walking me home."

Sakura pulled her hand from his grasp and slowly walked towards her house's door. Sasuke stayed there for a few seconds, waiting until she was safely inside before turning the other way and headed back to his own apartment.

"Oh… my-"

"Can you believe this?!" Kasumi beamed, having an armful of blue and pink roses. Sakura gaped in disbelief at the beautiful and hard to find flowers. Well, the pink ones weren't that rare but blue ones were in their district. "W-who sent these?!" she asked, looking around the house, only to be surrounded by the roses. "It practically covered everything!"

Kasumi sighed dreamily. "They smell lovely too dear," she said. "Sasuke delivered them here."

Sakura stopped smelling a blue rose and snapped her head to her mother's direction. "What..?" Kasumi giggled. "I said Sasuke delivered them here."

"Y-you mean… he bought these..?"

"No silly!" Kasumi said almost immediately. "Why? Were you hoping he did?"

"N-No!" She blushed and looked away, staring at the single blue rose in her hand. _"Actually, yes… I was hoping he sent me these…" _she turned back to Kasumi. "So, who?"

Her mother shrugged. "Sasuke came by a while ago and said that he had a delivery for you."

"I'm going to have to interrogate that guy..." She muttered, taking out the cell phone he bought for her and calling him.

"Hello?"

"Oi! Uchi-Suke! What's with these flowers?!"

A pause.

"What..?" he asked.

"These roses that you delivered!"

"…Ask your stalker."

"Who is..?"

"How should I know?!" he asked back. "Shouldn't you know because he probably asked you to deliver these to me!" Sasuke sighed at this. "Sakura, my mom loves flowers so much that she practically had one store open up to sell different kinds of it. My mom asked me to deliver them to you, I don't know from who but she said it was a secret admirer. So when I dropped by at your house, it caused me to be late for school."

She could tell that he was annoyed. "Are you… mad?" she asked. "Who wouldn't be?!" he almost yelled. "Look, if that admirer of yours wants to send you flowers, maybe he ought to do it himself instead of having other people be late for school!" he hung up, not giving her a chance to talk or say anything.

Sakura stared long and hard at her phone before coming to one conclusion.

Uchiha Sasuke was mad…

Most of all…

…he was jealous.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 8: Clarifications_

"What if Lee was the one who sent you the flowers?" he asked. She blinked and thought about it for a while before grinning at him. "Why not? He's nice anyway." He gave a nod and looked at the sky. "And what if it was Kiba?" she shrugged. "He's a funny guy." Sasuke raised his brow at this. "Neji?" she blinked. "Isn't he with Ten-Ten?" he shook his head. "Well, maybe." She smiled a bit. "I mean, next to you, he's popular, why not?" he forced himself to not laugh. "Okay, what about Shikamaru?" Sakura looked at him as if he grew another head. "Just asking…" he muttered. "I guess it's okay."

"What if it was Naruto?"

"Yeah right, he's got Hinata."

"Just answer the question."

"I'll probably reject him for Hinata's sake."

"I see…" he murmured, leaning on the motor bike he rented. "What if it was me?"

* * *

_A/N: Long preview, but doesn't Sasuke's last question want you to read more? Hehe…The lyrics above were from the song Fallin by Jaano Gibbs, and Naruto's song was from the OST of A Goofy Movie- the one wherein Max performed a concert-ish thing. The title is Stand Out and it's by Tevin Campbell.  
_


	8. Clarifications

_A/N: Their costumes were suggested by Mayline.  
_

* * *

**Ironies of Life**

He sighed. He didn't know what was worse- the fact that tonight's play night, or the very fact that he doesn't meet up with Sakura anymore in the morning. Usually, they would be jogging a few rounds this morning, and stop by the outdoor court to shoot some hoops. But now, well, that seems to be impossible.

"That's not fair!"

Sasuke slowed down to a walk until he stopped, spotting a familiar pink-haired girl who was in the outdoor court, chasing after the ball that rolled outside the court. "Damn it Sai! You're not being fair!" he unconsciously clenched his fists when he heard her say Sai's name. He looked at the orange ball that rolled over to him, not bothering to pick it up as Sakura did and stopped, slowly looking up at him, their gazes meeting and locking. "S-Sasuke..?" her eyes were wide, and he returned it with calm onyx ones that shifted to Sai who sprinted towards them, stopping to greet at his captain.

"Good morning captain!" he gave a mock salute. "Jogging?"

The Uchiha teen narrowed his eyes at him then at Sakura before looking straight ahead and started to jog once more, completely ignoring Sakura's calls. _"Damn it! Why does it hurt anyway?! Why does it fucking hurt so much?!" _he shut his eyes and continued to run, his speed increasing further.

Sometimes, even though it wasn't in his character to run away, it felt good to just run and…

"_Damn it..!"_

…escape...

* * *

_**Chapter 8: Clarifications**_

He sighed, reviewing his lines before the start of their final practice. He was glad that this would be over soon, since he missed playing basketball- it's the only sport wherein he could take his anger out, besides soccer and motocross. He could hear the squeals of the girls in drama class, how they fussed and commented about Sakura's costume. Right now, he could care less; especially after what he saw this morning.

"…_If she wants me to back off, then I will." _He thought, looking down. _"It's not like I control her life, if she wants to hang out with Sai, then so be it." _He glanced at his left, spotting Sakura emerge from backstage, her cheeks red as she slowly walked towards him. He didn't bother to comment on what she wore, but just remained silent.

"Hey, Sasuke, about this morning…"

"Forget it." He said bluntly, standing up and dropping the script he held on the chair he sat on. She stared at him for a while, admiring how he looked in his costume. Although their characters' names were in Japanese, their setting was somewhere in ancient China, and he was wearing what Tamahome's outfit, a character in Fushigi Yuugi and one of the few anime shows that she watches, was in the anime. Hers, on the other hand, looked like Fushigi Yuugi's Miaka's priestess outfit. Aside from what they were wearing, she also noticed how he was… distant lately.

* * *

"You are to protect her at any cause, is that understood?" Shinkai's father, played by some random guy, told Sasuke, who played as Kyo. "Yes sir." He said, lowering his head a bit while he was still in a half kneeling position. Behind him was his team, one of them being Kiba, who played as Yuki, Kyo's best friend.

"In that case, I leave my daughter in you and your team's hands." He exited the stage as Sasuke and his team stood up to greet the princess. Sakura's thoughts seemed a bit preoccupied that she almost forgot her lines. "Kyo, was it?" Kyo nodded at this as she turned to the rest. "You may address me as Shinkai, I'm not too fond of formalities." she said, smiling a bit at the team.

"We're sorry hime-san, but it's to keep our ties and relationship with you professional." Kyo said. Shinkai knitted her brows slightly. "Then consider this request as an order." Sasuke's character gave a small smirk to Sakura's, who blushed a bit and looked away, her head held high. "And wipe that smirk off of your face, Kyo." She said, turning around to exit the stage. Yuki stepped forward at this. "What was that all about?" Kyo turned to him and then back at where Shinkai was once. "Nothing; she just amuses me, unlike the other snobbish brats we had to protect."

"Riiight…" Yuki murmured.

Kisame was pretty happy with how the whole practice turned out- until they reached another awkward scene with Kyo and Shinkai. Now, he was just staring at the two main characters who were standing on stage, staring at each other, then at him with a glare and their faces red. Kisame blinked at this. "What?" he asked. "Why'd you stop?"

Sasuke's brow twitched in annoyance as Sakura restrained herself from murdering her teacher. "What the hell do you mean by: _Kyo kissed Shinkai and pushed her towards the bed, afterwards made a move to remove her clothing_?!" Kisame could sense the anger in Sasuke's tone, as well as the small hint of embarrassment. "It's part of the play. It's not like you're really going to strip her naked you know." Again, they blushed. "Besides, it's only to give the audience an idea that you're going to do _it_ with the princess! Trust me; it's vital for the ending."

"Then why the hell did you add this only now?!" Sakura yelled.

"We figured you wouldn't do it during the first few practices of it."

"And what makes you think we will now?" Sasuke countered.

"You have to, tonight's play night, and if you don't, the school's reputation will go down the drain." Kisame said in a dramatic way. Sasuke raised a brow. "What makes you think I care?" Sakura, on the other hand, chose this time to remain silent. Kisame gaped at Sasuke, instantly remembering that the teen was part of S7. "Well, Sarutobi-sama wouldn't be happy about the complaints he will be receiving. Plus, your records may…" Kisame trailed off, grinning at Sasuke's wide eyed look. "You know what I mean, Uchiha."

"Damn it." Sasuke hissed, looking away. "I knew you'd see it my way." Kisame said; his grin widening as he saw the Uchiha step forward and made a move to kiss Sakura. Yup, he was going to enjoy the show tonight.

* * *

Finally show time and the drama class are all fussing about the props and costumes as Sasuke remained in one corner, seemingly reading his lines but he was actually thinking of something else. He was wondering if Sakura will even notice how distant he has been to her the whole day, and that the only time he really talked to her was when they were in one scene.

"Sasuke-kun..?"

Yep, she did notice. He could tell just from the tone of her voice. And how come she called him with the –kun suffix attached? He found it weird how she would say his name at times without it and with it.

"Sasuke-kun..!"

He tore his gaze from the script to look at her, letting her know that he was listening and that she had caught his attention. _"Then again, when did she not?" _he thought to himself, waiting for what she was about to say. "I…" she stopped, looking down as if contemplating whether she should talk or not. "…Why are you being so distant?" yeah, she did notice.

"…And you care because?"

She was taken aback by his reply that her brows creased a bit. "What's wrong with you? You're acting… different…"

"Haven't I always?" he asked back, not answering her questions fully. Sakura clenched her fists at this and looked away from him. "Yeah but, not like this… you're…a lot different from the Sasuke that I know." She turned back to him. "You're a complete and total stranger to me now." He turned back to his script and placed it down, stood up and closed his eyes. "Maybe it's because you don't really know me." And he walked away to let her ponder on what he said. But was it true? Did she really not know who he is?

"It's about Sai isn't it?"

He stopped walking but didn't turn to face her and just remained standing. Sakura turned her head to him, patiently waiting for his answer. "It's not _all _about Sai you know. Go hang out with him for all I care, I don't control your life, do whatever you want. I just have my own problems to deal with that I don't need you to know about." It was rather cold of him to say that, but he wanted to get it out of his head just to keep her from suspecting how he really feels about her. "So stop being so nosy about it."

"Stop hiding Sasuke. Most importantly, stop pretending."

Damn, he hated it when she read him just like that. He could practically sense her lips forming a smile when he remained frozen and unmoving. "Did I hit a spot there..? Uchi-Suke?" again, he didn't answer and just stood still. He heard her footsteps approaching him, stopping just right behind him as she seemed to hesitate at first before leaning closer to wrap her arms around him from behind, causing him to blush and have his heart race. "…Please stop it." She murmured against the fabric of his costume. "I hate seeing you like this…" he felt her arms around him tighten. "…It makes me feel sad…" she said, almost above a whisper that he barely heard it.

His eyelids half-closed as he raised his hands to grasp her own and pull them away. "Why..?" he asked, pulling away from her and turned his body to face her, his eyes having a serious look on them that she felt uncomfortable around him all of a sudden. "Why does it make you feel sad?" he wanted to know how she felt about him.

She looked into his eyes, seeing no hints of happiness in them. All she saw were sadness, longing and anxiety. "Why shouldn't I be..? I mean," she looked down, not able to stand his eyes. It made her feel depressed - like she was sharing his pain. "…you're my friend."

_It hurts…_

"…my best friend for that matter."

…_so much… it hurts…_

Sakura raised her head to him. His eyes were shadowed by his bangs, and she couldn't tell what he was feeling now. "…so… when you're sad or angry, or feeling negative, I also feel the same way."

"…Aa." He turned around, not wanting to hear anymore. She answered him already; he was only a friend - a best friend; nothing more, nothing less. "…Sasuke-kun?" she asked unsurely. He still had his head lowered, deep in thought and finding the right answer.

_I guess that's it…_

He smiled a bit and turned to her, startling her of his sudden change of mood.

…_you only see me as a friend…_

"Thanks."

…_nothing more…_

She blinked and finally beamed at him. "No problem!" she exclaimed, tackling him to a hug. He returned it though, and closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the pain he felt deep down inside of him.

…_nothing less…_

"Glad to have you back Uchi-Suke!"

…_just…_

"Hn. Whatever." He answered in a jokingly way and let her go, forcing a grin to assure her that he was fine.

…_a friend._

* * *

The theater was packed with people. Students, teachers and family were there to see the show, and when Sasuke spotted his parents and brother, he almost decided to back out of the play. Yet he knew it would cause a scene when Kisame starts yelling, crying and possibly tell Itachi about it and he would have to bear with the consequences. Sakura didn't seem to mind her mother's presence, except that Kasumi had a camcorder with her – and that had her ranting.

"Will you stop that? It's getting annoying."

"But she has a camcorder with her! Are you forgetting how many kissing scenes we have? Including those hugs and- and-"

"I know." He replied, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "But we can't do anything about it, we'll just have to keep up with this." He turned to Kisame who was calling for them as he grabbed Sakura's wrist and pulled her towards the drama teacher. Sakura blushed a bit when he grabbed her – she wasn't sure why, but she suddenly felt something, and it puzzled her. _"Why did I suddenly feel this way..?" _she looked at his hand then at him, pondering on what she just felt.

"So, this is it, I wish you luck on this play! Go knock 'em dead!"

* * *

The lights dimmed and the narrator began the story, causing everyone to hush as the blood red curtains slowly parted to show the scene of the insides of a palace, where a team was kneeling down before the king and the princess. 

"I leave my daughter in the hands of your team then, Kyo-san."

Sasuke, who played Kyo, gave a curt nod and raised his head to look at the king. "We will protect her with our lives sir, count on it." The king gave a smile before he turned to Sakura. "I'll let you get better acquainted with your personal bodyguards then, my daughter." And he left the stage, leaving Sakura alone with the new team. She smiled at them and told the team that they can get back up.

"I wish to be called Shinkai, and not hime-san, if you don't mind."

Kyo shook his head. "I'm sorry hime-san, but orders are orders, and we have to keep our relationship with you strictly professional." He gave a slightly low bow to her. Shinkai narrowed her eyes a bit. "And your orders were to listen to me right? So I demand that you call me Shinkai instead."

He gave her a smirk as Shinkai blushed and turned the other way. "I'm going to get some rest." She muttered, walking out of the stage as Yuki, played by Kiba, approached Kyo. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing." Kyo answered, turning to his team. "Alright guys, you can patrol around the area and afterwards, get some rest for tomorrow."

* * *

A few minutes later, Itachi finally sat up straight when the play reached the part that he waited for so long- The confession scene. _"Heh, time for some remembrance." _He told himself, taking out a video camera and switched on the power button.

* * *

Shinkai lowered her head and walked over to Kyo, tugged on his sleeve to get his attention and blushed when he looked at her. "K-Kyo, can you come with me to the temple..?" she asked in a weak voice, but loud enough for the audience to hear. Kyo raised a brow. "What're you going to do there? And it's pretty crowded there, we could get lost or separated, and if worst comes to worst, you'll get kidnapped."

She shook her head a bit and gained the courage to look up at him. "We won't get lost nor will we separate. I'll… stick to you okay? And I'll even wear something to disguise myself as a commoner." Kyo sighed, seeing that he can't change the girl's mind. "Alright, I'll call the rest of the team and-" he got cut off when Shinkai pulled his arm to prevent him from walking off. "It'll be too suspicious if we go there as a group." She reasoned, letting his arm go when he stopped to listen. "It'll be better if it's just… the two of us… we can act as… lo- I mean, siblings! Yeah! Siblings!"

Kyo gave her a questioning look but shrugged it off. "Fine, go get changed." Shinkai looked at him. "What about you?" Kyo looked down at his so-called ANBU uniform. "What about mine?" She rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you change into something else..? Like something casual..? The one you wore when you and your team were introduced to me?"

He sighed again. "Alright, meet me back here in ten minutes then." And he walked off, leaving a beaming Shinkai to run off to her room. The lights dimmed as the prod crew came and fixed everything in the dark. After a while, the lights came back and a different background was made: the temple. Shinkai was already dressed in a villager's clothing and was happily looking around.

Her escort remained alert though, eyeing some people who looked their way. "Hime-san," he whispered but she gave him a stern look and he sighed. "…Shinkai…" he murmured. "Yep?" she asked, grinning. He sweat dropped at her mood swings and looked at her long, pink hair. "You might want to do something about that hair of yours… it's… too…"

"I know what you mean." She said, brushing her hair with her fingers. Kyo stopped and turned to face her as she did the same, blinking. He took out what looked like a scarf and placed it on her head, tying a knot behind her neck, right under her long hair, making it look like she wore a bandana over her head. "That should do it." He whispered, stepping back and continued walking.

Shinkai's face was red as she looked at Kyo, before running to catch up with him and then hugged his arm, startling him. "Thanks, nii-chan!" she yelled. Kyo turned beet red at this. "Shut up…" he muttered, looking away. "Awww… you're so cute like that…" she giggled. She almost yelled his name, until she remembered they were posing as siblings and _not _lovers.

"What exactly are you looking for anyway?" he asked, looking around. "I'm looking for an old man who sells a necklace that has a cherry blossom pendant, only… it's made out of quartz…" He stopped walking as his eyes scanned the area. "It'll be hard to look for him with all these people…" She nodded and grinned. "We can split up then!" he looked at her in disbelief. "Are you crazy? We can't-"

"I'll meet you back here in ten minutes then!" and she ran off, ignoring his calls. Kyo gave a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Damn, annoying girl…" he muttered. "My, my, such colorful words…" Kyo turned his head to the left to see an old man giving him a smile. "Was that any way to describe your girlfriend?" he blushed at the comment and held in his laughter when he realized the old man was played by one of his classmates who pretended to sound old. "She's not my girlfriend…" he muttered, about to walk off when the old man called him again. "I overheard you two talking about a necklace, am I right?" Kyo turned back to him and gave a nod.

The old man took something out of his pocket and revealed the necklace, the pendant glimmering under the sun. "It's my last one, also a bit pricey since this one's the first necklace that was ever made, I've been looking for someone to sell it to, and it just so happens that I saw you and the girl, and thought that you two deserve to have it. Or rather, she does anyway." Kyo took the necklace and eyed it, admiring the glow it gave. "She's the princess, am I right?"

His eyes widened as he looked back at the old man who chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll keep quiet about it, but you do know you live a dangerous life if you two are lovers, her father would not approve of it." He coughed. "Besides that, your duty is to protect her, but then, I guess it's cliché, you end up falling for her." He sighed as Kyo remained rigid. "But whoever said that it can't happen? Who knows..? It might." He gave one last smile before turning to walk away when Kyo called him back. "I still haven't paid for it."

"Keep it, this one's on the house." He smiled again. "I do believe it's meant to belong to her and you." And he left the stage, instantly removing the make-up costume. _"Damn it, why am I always the old man?!"_

Kyo just remained standing, staring at where the old man left until he heard Shinkai call his name. He turned to see her disappointed look. "I couldn't find him…" she said in a sad tone, her eyes widening when he held the necklace in front of her face. "Is this it?" She stared; not answering him and Kyo took it as a yes and walked around her, facing her back. She turned her head slightly to him to ask what he was up to when she felt the quartz cherry blossom rest between her collar bones. "Putting it on you." He answered her silent question, hooking the necklace before taking a step back to watch at her reaction. She was smiling and looking at the pendant with happy eyes. She turned to him and tackled him to a hug. "Thanks a lot Kyo."

The words the old man told him kept ringing in his ear as he hesitatingly hugged her back, his eyes closing as he rested his chin on top of his head. At this, Sakura blushed but hid her face on his chest, which caused him to blush. They were unaware that Sai was smiling at the whole scene. _"Just a few more scenes and you'll most probably be wishing this never happened – or perhaps I could keep hoping for the better…" _he chuckled, imagining Sakura's reaction when he teases her about her crush.

* * *

"This is it…" Itachi said to himself when Sasuke and Sakura were in a forestry-like area.

"Hime-san, I-"

"Kyo, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

"Shinkai then," he whispered, loud enough for the audience to hear. "I want to tell you something, but…" he looked away, pretending that he was embarrassed. "…I can't."

"Why not Kyo?" she asked.

"You and me…" he murmured. "It's just not right."

"What do you mean by that?!" she yelled, startling him. "Go straight to the point Kyo!"

"…I love you." He said, loud enough for her to hear but soft enough to add the effect of compassion in it. His family was shocked though. He never did say that to them unless he really meant it, and hearing him say it just so naturally had them gaping. Mikoto sniffed. "It's been years since he last said those words…" Itachi sweat dropped at this. "Geez mom… he just said that to you last week when you dropped by to bring him a basket of tomatoes…" Fugaku snorted. "At least you get to hear him say that to you. He's embarrassed to say it to me and Itachi." The said boy gave a nod.

They turned their attention back to the stage, watching, waiting…

Sakura wasn't saying anything…

"I…" Sakura began, her heart beat quickened as she felt like she can't breathe. Sasuke gave her a worried look; he can sense that something was wrong. "…Sakura..?" he mouthed, giving an "Are-you-okay" look. She just stared wide-eyed at him, her face beet red as she placed a hand on her heart, trying to calm down. _"W-what's wrong with me..? Why can't I say anything..? It's not like he… confessed… it's… damn it! Say something Sakura!"_

He panicked, he had to adlib somehow. "I…" her voice was weak, and he somehow felt that she either had a stage fright or she got scared of something. "…Shinkai." He spoke, catching Sakura's attention, including the whole drama class as they browsed through the script, murmuring amongst each other how screwed they are and how everything's a mess. "You don't have to… answer me…" he said, cursing himself for coming up with a lame alibi. "I just wanted to tell you, before it's too late." He added.

"_What the-?! That's not part of the play!" _Sakura thought, gaping at him as he struggled for more lines. "…I…" he began and shut his mouth again, looking away. Some of the viewers who were clueless about the story were awed and waited eagerly for the leading lady's answer. While some, who have seen the practices they had, had their jaws on the floor.

"He's adlibbing!" Naruto hissed. Neji and the rest nodded, staring at the two teens on the stage. "Heh." Sasuke smirked, and then laughed a bit. "You must think I'm pretty pathetic to be confessing like this, making a fool out of myself. More importantly," he turned to her. "You must be thinking that I'm only kidding."

"_Sasuke…kun…" _she shook a bit, recalling his confession the last time. She noticed how he looked sad when she said that he was probably joking. "…You were… serious..?"

"Hn, I knew it." He murmured. "You did think I was kidding…"

"I… I'm sorry… I… it's just that-" she got cut off when he suddenly kissed her on the spot, ignoring how some actually loved the idea and how Sakura's fan boys wanted to tear him apart so badly, that is, if they can even get to punch him. When he pulled away and gazed into her eyes with half-closed ones, he wasn't surprised to see the look she gave him. "I love you…" he whispered. "…Shinkai." He added too quickly, and Kisame fainted.

"…I…" she felt her heart beat slow down to a normal pace before she leaned on to him. "I love you too…" she closed her eyes. "…Kyo-kun…" and kissed him as he returned it. "Damn…" Shikamaru cursed as Sai chuckled. Naruto had to hold in his laughter, otherwise, he would be thrown out if he laughed. Neji smirked and Shino just shook his head. _"Lee is going to get it when Sasuke finds him."_

* * *

"You what?!" Yuki yelled, looking at his best friend who leaned on the wall and gazed out the window. "Kyo, are you out of your mind?! You can't let this go on!" Kyo remained silent and sighed. "Man, you are one pain in the rear… you know that?" Yuki asked. Kyo looked at him with a raised brow. "I beg your pardon..?"

Yuki rolled his eyes. "For how long..?"

"Two… weeks…"

"WHAT?!"

"…Can you be any louder?"

"You idiot! Two weeks..?! She's a princess Kyo! You can't interfere with royalty!"

"…How can I stop myself Yuki..?" he asked, looking down. "…My mom told me before that… when you're in love, you don't really care if what you do is right or wrong, because when you're in love, you risk it all."

Yuki was speechless. It was the first time he has ever heard his best friend say something like that, and by then, he now knew that Kyo was hopelessly in love with Shinkai, and that only made the situation worse. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you…" Kyo gave a small smile to Yuki. "Thanks."

"Kyo-san, Yuki-san!"

They turned to the left where a new character ran from the back stage dressed as a maid of the palace. "The king wishes to see the two of you." She said, bowing a bit. Kyo and Yuki nodded as the lights went out and another scene change took place. "It's peaceful now…" the king began, turning to face the two. "I have no worries for our kingdom to be attacked, therefore, you and your team can go back home to your families and friends." Yuki was happy to hear that, but Kyo wasn't – 'coz it meant parting with Shinkai. And coincidentally, she was just there, and she heard everything.

He saw her enter with teary-eyes, and he knew she was holding back tears. "My daughter, it's time that you thank these two for protecting you day and night, especially Kyo-san here. He's kept you safe and sound for days." She smiled at Kyo and bowed a bit. "Thank you, Kyo-san." She turned to Yuki and also bowed a bit. "You too, Yuki-san." She looked at her father. "May I go back to my room now? I feel… sleepy…" her dad nodded and she excused herself, walking in a fast paced stroll to her room. Kyo just stared at her, not really listening to the king's speech and words of gratitude.

Once more, the lights went out as another change of scene began. When the lights were on, the stage was set-up with Shinkai's room, complete with the bed, dresser and fake balcony. She was currently on her bed, face on her pillow and shoulders shaking, giving the audience the hint that she was crying. "…Shinkai…" she froze upon hearing the voice as Sasuke entered the scene, stopping a few feet away from her bed. "…I'm… I…"

"Don't say anything." She said, her tone harsh. "I don't want to hear it."

"…You know that I wouldn't want to go, but I can't just talk and say that I'm in love with you…"

"You could've done something about it!" she yelled, sitting up and glaring at him as he took a step back, startled at her reaction. "Now that you're going, I'm never going to see you again! I'm… I'll…" she started to cry once more as she looked the other way. Kyo's eyes softened as he walked closer to her and knelt down before her, taking her hand in his as she slowly looked at him. "…Even if we're far apart, I'll still love you." He whispered. He stood up, pulling her with him as she gazed into his onyx orbs.

"_His eyes, have they always been this attracting..?" _she thought, her eyelids half-closing as she felt dazed when she looked into his orbs. _"I feel captivated by them… it's like he's… caught me…"_ It was silent for a while, and some were wondering what was going to happen next. Sasuke unknowingly whispered those 3 words once again. "I love you." He said. _"If I can't say it to you off-stage, then I might as well tell it to you right now."_ He thought, closing his eyes as he leaned down to capture her lips, stopping when he was close enough to whisper to her: "You'd better not yell in this scene, otherwise, we're dead." And when he kissed her and pushed her down on the bed, she knew what he meant, especially when he pretended to undress her, which caused claps, yells and whistles to erupt from some perverts in the house.

Sakura's mother gasped and gaped, Sasuke's family felt like they're in the twilight zone, and their friends just cheered. Before anything else could happen, the lights closed and another scene change took place, earning groans from some green-minded people.

"How dare you?!" was the next thing they heard as the lights went on, just in time for the audience to see Sasuke fall on his back with the king looking like he just punched someone. Mikoto's eyes widened when she saw her youngest son's lip bleeding. "T-that's just enough!" she said, about to stand up when Fugaku and Itachi held her down. "Dear, this is just a play, which means, that's just make-up or paint or… something…" Fugaku said. "Yeah mom, Kisame said he had to make it look real, thus the paint and make-up!" Mikoto blinked. "Oh…" and sat back down. Itachi sighed in relief. _"Honestly, she babies Sasuke too much…"_

"Father, please, stop!" Shinkai yelled while she was being restrained by the palace guards. Yuki and Kyo's team were also held back as Kyo sat up and wiped the "blood" away from his lip with his arm. He was clad in his battle uniform, but he didn't dare to fight back. "What have you got to say for yourself?!" The king demanded an answer from him. "I've explained the rules, you should be aware of the consequences and-"

"I know…" Kyo spoke, head lowered and bangs shielding his eyes. "…I know what will happen, but for Shinkai…" he ignored the king's look when he addressed the princess by her first name. "I'm willing to take all the risks, even if it means to die for her." She cried after hearing this. "Kyo-kun…" she whispered, sobbing. The king was furious. "Not only did you confess your love to her, but you went as far as touching her! Kissing her and… and… taking away her dignity!"

"Father he didn't force me!" Shinkai yelled. "I willingly did!"

Kyo's eyes widened at this as he turned to Shinkai. "Stop it!" he yelled and turned back to the king. "Sir, it wasn't her fault, I'm the one to blame!"

"Kyo, don't take all the blame!" she yelled at him. "I'm involved in this too!" she turned to her father who was ready to blow his top. "Don't hurt him dad, hurt me if you must! It's not entirely his fault! I'm in love with him as well! Please, don't hurt him!"

"Shinkai!" Kyo yelled, stopping her. When the king was about to vent out his anger, a servant came running in. "Sire! The kingdom is under attack! A large number of bandits and rebels have come to take the throne!"

"What?!"

Kyo quickly stood up and ran, managing to get his team free from the guards' clutches as he quickly ordered them to fight and defend the kingdom. "Kyo!" Shinkai yelled. "Stay here!" he yelled at her before running off, leaving the king speechless.

* * *

Another scene change occurred, and this time, it was a battlefield. There were some extras in the background but the main focus was on Sasuke and another character who played as the leader of the thieves. "ANBU, ANBU, ANBU! You're just dogs, 'ya hear me?! Dogs who actually obey orders and never make decisions on their own!" he yelled, swinging his sword at Sasuke who sweat dropped and tried to avoid the assaults. "You idiot, that thing is metal!" he hissed to the guy but he paid no heed and continued with his attack. "How dare you!" he yelled. "How dare you take my dear blossom from me?!"

This caused the audience to sweat drop as Sasuke twitched and concluded a few things. One, this guy was a fan of Sakura. Two, he was also one of the guys who's part of the anti-S7 or anti-Sasuke, three, he was close to really hurting him and lastly, he decided to end this by knocking him out, for real.

"Idiot…" Sasuke muttered, glaring at the guy who had fallen on the stage, unconscious. "Kyo!" his eyes widened when he heard Shinkai's voice and was running towards him. "Shinkai, stop!" he yelled, running to her as well when he noticed the presence of an enemy who had a bow and arrow aimed at the princess. The arrow was shot, and Kyo tackled Shinkai on the ground, which cause her to be out of the weapons range, yet it instead, hit his abdomen.

"Kyo… Kyo!" she yelled, realizing what had happened. _"Shit, that stick hurts!" _he cursed, glaring at the guy whom he recognized as also one of his haters. _"These guys are out to kill me for real…" _Kiba quickly ran and attacked the enemy, also knocking him for real. "Kyo!" he yelled, running to his best friend who was now in Sakura's arms.

Sasuke lay there in a weakened state in Sakura's arms, along with Kiba's call for the medics. "Kyo-kun…" Sakura whispered. Her eyes were also glossed with crystal tears as they dripped onto Sasuke's face. He gave a weak smile and slowly lifted his hand to touch her cheek. "Shin…kai… don't cry…" he said, pretending to be dying.

"Damn it! Where are the medics?!" Kiba yelled, walking around the stage and frantically searching for any doctors in their team. "…I already told you…" Sasuke flinched, pretending that his wound stung. "…it hurts me to see you crying…" he managed a small smile as Sakura held onto him, her other hand over his, gripping it tightly. "Kyo… you baka! How can I not cry?! You're dying!"

"I may be dying, but my love for you will still live on…"

"Shinkai…" he wiped her tears away. "Smile for me…I want to see you smile…" she closed her eyes as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "I… can't… I can't!" she cried. "Yes you can," he assured her, pretending to feel like his life is draining from his body as he continued with his dying act. "…Hime… please, smile for me…" he requested. "…smile as if it'll keep me alive." Slowly, her lips were forming a small smile, though small, it was still a smile.

Sasuke returned it with one of his own and slowly closed his eyes. "Thank you…" and he dropped his hand as if he really died. Sakura's eyes widened at this as she looked at Sasuke. "Kyo..?" he didn't answer. Kiba looked alarmed and slowly went towards the two lovers. "Kyo-kun..?" she asked, her lips forming a smile. "Kyo, I'm smiling right now, please, open your eyes… stop kidding around…" he didn't move. Her lips turned upside down as she shook him. "Kyo-kun…" she whispered and suddenly pulled his body to her and cried in a louder voice. "Kyo!!"

The narrator took this as his cue to enter. "And as the princess Shinkai cried over her dead lover, so did the sky, droplets of rain falling from the dark clouds, as if mourning over the noble Kyo's death."

"A few months later though, everything was back to normal; peace was finally restored on the kingdom and things were very bright for the village." Sakura walked out on the stage with a smile as she stopped in the center and look over her shoulder. "Kyosuke-chan, hurry up." A kid, with his hair styled like Sasuke's, ran towards Sakura. "Sorry mom, I just thought I heard someone call me."

Some of the audience who knew the main characters gaped at the kid. "Oh my God… he looks real!" Mikoto cried. "Real?! You mean identical! It's like Sasuke and Sakura really made that kid!" Itachi said. Fugaku just remained silent, hoping he wouldn't get a heart attack.

"Really now, you must be imagining things…" Shinkai whispered, looking up. "Yeah… you must be… right, Kyo-kun..?"

The lights dimmed and opened again, showing the audience all the characters as the narrator introduced them one by one. "Phew, we're finally done…" Sakura whispered to Sasuke who stood next to her. "Yeah, I'm glad that's over." He muttered, bowing when he was introduced. She looked at him as he gave an embarrassed wave to his mom and friends. She didn't know why, but somehow, she just felt like she can stare at him for a long time, rather, she wanted to just stare… and admire him. "Hey, Sak 'o potato!" he said, tugging on her hand that held onto hers. "Your turn." He smirked when she blushed and quickly bowed down, giving a nervous laugh to the crowd.

* * *

"That was so embarrassing."

"Heh, you spaced out again."

"Again..?" she asked, blinking. "Hn. You owe me for saving you there." He said, letting her remember the confession scene. She blushed when she recalled that, and she stopped packing her things, causing Sasuke to stop as well to look at her. "Sakura..?"

"Why did you kiss me..?"

"Um… we had a lot of kissing scenes in the play, remember..?"

"On the confession part… you were adlibbing, and…" she lowered her head, her pink bangs shielding her eyes from his view. "…you cut me off."

He remained silent and looked down at his bag, contemplating on things before he gave a small smile and looked at her. Sakura stared at her bag as well and her eyes widened when she felt his presence behind him. Her body turned around and she met his eyes. Once again, she got caught in his deep pools of ebony. "You mean like this?" and he captured her lips, pulling away as fast as he came, smirking at her reaction. "Let's just say that after all the times we've been through," he paused, wanting to see her reaction. "It's a kiss that manages to save us all the time." She kept staring at him, her mind craving for his lips on hers, wishing that he would kiss her again, except he would do so out of love, and perhaps, give her a deeper one.

"When you slipped on the stairs, a kiss broke your fall and saved you from suffering an injury. Although it did cause my fans to almost kill you, it still did a lot of positive things. On our… date as your mom would put it, we were just drawn when we felt awkward for staring at each other too long. When Kakashi caught us, we had to kiss to get away." He stopped- almost slipping when he was about to say something she shouldn't know. "And when you blanked out a while ago, a kiss saved you, me, and the play from becoming a complete disaster."

"And what about that kiss you just gave me recently..?"

"…I just felt like it."

"I… I see…" she lowered her head at this. _"When will you tell me the truth anyway Uchiha..?" _she thought. _"I know that you're lying. And if not, then you're not telling me the exact reason."_

He noticed how she suddenly went silent, and he tried to figure out a way to get her to cheer up. "Hn. You looked pretty worried about me a while ago." She blinked and looked at him with a questioning gaze as he grinned. "You were afraid that I was really gonna die, and you were about to charge, head on at Kiro when he was swishing that sword like crazy."

"I- that- but it-" she was blushing and stuttering, and he laughed. "I was so not worried about you! I just wanted to stop him from ruining the play with his madness!" He smirked and she shut her mouth. "Yeah right." She glared at him. "It's true!" they were unaware of the people who stopped to look at their way, sweat dropping as the supposed lovers were at it again.

"Why the heck would I be worried about someone like you anyway?!" she huffed, looking away and grabbing her bag as she held her head high and walked pass him. "I'm going home." She muttered. Sasuke smirked and shook his head, also grabbing his bag as he followed her. But then, he thought of something, and the idea was just too tempting to ignore. "Hey, Sak-" he stopped and she quickly turned when she heard a thud, followed by the people around her to suddenly call out Sasuke's name in a panicked tone. "Sasuke…kun..?" she said slowly, staring at his unconscious body on the floor.

"Somebody get a glass of water!"

"Idiot! That's not gonna help!"

"Then what should we do?!"

"We have to figure out what caused him to faint first!"

Sakura made her way through the crowd and yelled at some people to get back. "Can't you guys see he's having difficulty in breathing? Get the freaking hell away when you're just gonna stand there doing nothing!" she huffed and looked down at him, pressing her index and middle finger against his pulse on his neck. "He's still breathing and his pulse seems normal…" she whispered to herself, ignoring the looks of the people surrounding her and Sasuke. _"It could be because of exhaustion or a sudden heat wave. It is kind of warm here." _She thought, seeing how his face was a bit red.

Without hesitating, she took his dark blue jacket off of him and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt, not minding the ones who gasped and gaped at her in disbelief.

"Oh my god! Sakura's going to take advantage of teme!" Naruto yelled, earning a hit on the head from the other S7 members as they scolded him. Sai just stared and smiled, amused at the whole thing.

"…_What can I do..? He's still breathing, so there's no need for CPR…" _

"…Why don't you give him mouth to mouth..?" Sai asked. Sakura blushed and glared at him. _"I hate you…" _she knew his motive very well. "That's out of the question Sai, he's only unconscious. If he's no longer breathing, that's the time CPR is needed. Besides that," she placed her ear against his chest, hearing his heartbeat. "His heartbeat's fine…" when she attempted to straighten herself up, she didn't feel any air coming from him, and her eyes widened when she leaned her face close to his, not hearing or feeling any breathing. "Oh no…" she murmured, slapping him gently. "Sasuke, if you're holding your breath, don't." she hissed. Seeing as he seemed to be not joking around, she panicked. "Crap, Sasuke! Don't do this to me!" she yelled grabbing a fist full of his shirt and shaking him. "Sasuke..? Sasuke..? Hell no!" she let go and had one of her hands press against his chest as the other pinched his nose.

"_I guess I have no choice." _She closed her eyes and quickly placed her lips on his, giving him some air as she pulled away to check if it was enough. Still no sign of his breathing, she repeated the process until his brows knitted together and she felt him attempt to sit up did she pull away and quickly asked him if he was okay. Sasuke blinked, trying to get rid of his blurry vision as he turned his head to her. "…what?" he asked. "Are you okay?" she repeated. He didn't answer and looked down for a while. "…I guess…" the crowd sighed in relief as they started talking, but he blocked them from his hearing and looked at Sakura.

"Damn, you had me worried there…" she whispered, getting up as she picked her bag and stood there, waiting for him. He mimicked her movement as they walked away from the crowd. When they were out of earshot, he smirked. "I knew it."

"Huh..?"

Sasuke stopped and looked at her, his smirk still plastered on his face. "You were worried about me."

* * *

Oh she was mad, very mad. Kasumi didn't dare to ask what was wrong when her daughter was muttering things she couldn't catch or understand. Sakura just ranted and ranted, drank a glass of water, and then ranted again. Kasumi just walked pass her and headed towards the phone since it was ringing, and greeted the caller with a cheery hello.

"Um… may I speak to her?"

She grinned. "You are so in for it." Kasumi looked at her daughter. "Oh Sakura…" she handed the phone to her daughter who raised a brow when her mother was giggling. "Hello?"

"Are you still mad?"

"Oh you bet I am Uchiha!" she roared. Sasuke flinched from the other line, even Ame's ears lowered from fright when he heard Sakura's voice. "Okay, I'm sorry… you didn't have to hit me though…" he muttered, placing his free hand on his right cheek where she hit him with her backpack. "That actually hurts…"

"And you think I care?!"

"No, I _know_ you care."

"…I hate you."

"Back at 'ya." He smirked when he heard her 'pfft', meaning she was holding her laughter. He smiled a bit at this. At least he was getting to her. "Hey, I'm sorry okay? And I want to make it up to you…"

"I'm listening…"

"Are you free tomorrow?"

"Are you asking me out?"

"Depends on how you see it."

"Yeah, I'm free. Why?"

"I'll pick you up around 10.30 am, if that's okay with you."

"Sure. But where are you taking me?"

"That's a surprise. Just dress casually okay?"

"You tell my mom." She murmured and he laughed. "I'll see you then, okay?"

"Okay." They were silent for a while, both waiting for the other to say something. "Um… listen, I gotta go, Ame's begging me to take him out for a walk." He lied. Sakura giggled. "I can imagine. Okay, see you tomorrow then. Bye."

"Aa, ja." And they hung up. He sighed and looked at his cat that looked back at him. "Sorry Ame, I couldn't think up of anything else to say." He grinned. "Come on, let's go take a walk before I feel guilty for lying."

* * *

She sweat dropped as she eyed herself on the full length mirror. Her left brow twitching as Kasumi clasped her hands together and had them rest on her left cheek, the direction where her head was tilted. "You look so darling in that outfit! Beautiful and catchy! It's bound to get Sasuke-kun to be jealous when boys look at you!"

"Mom…" she said, giving a nervous smile. When Kasumi heard about her plans with Sasuke, or date as she'd call it, she immediately went through the closet on the empty guest room to fetch some clothes she made for her daughter. "You know, I always wonder why you didn't take up the occupation of designing clothes…" Sakura muttered. She loved her mom and the clothes she made, but having her dress her up for a _date_ was too much already. _"But I admit, I do look good in this…"_

They heard the doorbell ring and Kasumi quickly rushed down to answer it, eager to greet her, hopefully, future son-in-law. "Sasuke, so nice to see you again!" she chirped. Sasuke sweat dropped. "Um… didn't you just see me last night..?" he asked, laughing nervously. "Well, yeah but… I'm always looking forward to answering the door to see you standing there to take Sakura out." Kasumi had a dreamy look on her face. "Such a thought gives me goose bumps! Especially when I think about you proposing to my Sakura-chan!" she squealed.

He sweat dropped. "Um… Ha- I mean… ka-chan…" he said in a weak voice and flinched when Kasumi gave a louder squeal. He sighed. The things he did to amuse his elders… "Is… Sakura ready..?"

"Why, of course! I know you're always five minutes early so I make sure she's ready before the exact time you'll pick her up!" she closed in on Sasuke and said in a hushed tone. "Which is why I always pick her clothes for her, she always fusses about what to wear whenever you ask her out you know."

"Um… I… I see…" he sweat dropped again. _"What is it with girls and clothing..?"_ He sighed inwardly. Guys can never really understand anyway. So he just gave up trying. Besides, according to psychology books he read based on understanding the human mind and interpreting the actions and expression, girls merely take time to dress because they want to impress, and that's something already. "Here she is." Kasumi said, looking at the stairs as he too, looked and had his eyes widen once more.

Sakura came down wearing a white sleeveless shirt under a light blue off-shoulder top. Her dark blue denim skirt reached three inches above her knees and she had leg warmers reaching below her knees. _"Wow… her mom sure knows how to dress her in a way that can get you." _He thought, still staring at her as she blushed. Her hair wasn't tied in a half-pony tail. She just had it down to keep it simple. She still wore the necklace he gave her during their school's festival, and her mom had her wear silver dangling earrings. "Hey Sasuke…" she greeted in a quiet voice, looking down with a blush adorning her cheeks. Kasumi merely beamed at them.

"You look…" he cleared his throat when he sounded like a little kid. "I mean…" he looked away, turning beet red when she looked up and giggled. "…you look great." He muttered. "Hn." She replied with his trademark answer. "And you look the same." She grinned. He always did wear a jacket over his shirt and pants. "The only difference is your jacket's white this time. But your shirt's still black."

"…what do you want me to wear? Pink?"

This caused her to giggle again, and he blushed. "Cut it out before I change my mind about this." Kasumi pushed Sakura out of the door, making her daughter stumble onto Sasuke who caught her just in time, having them both in an awkward position. "Bye bye you two." And Kasumi closed the door, grinning from behind it.

* * *

"Um…" Sakura began, her arms were wrapped around his neck because she was afraid to fall that she quickly reached out to grab him. He, on the other hand, caught her by wrapping his arms around her waist. To add more fluff, their faces were pretty close to each other. "Are we… going now..?" She asked, looking down. "Oh, right." He waited for her to get on her feet before pulling his arms away as they walked down the sidewalk.

"So where are we going?"

"Just wait." He said, aware of some guys who stared and whistled at Sakura. He didn't seem to really care though, 'coz he had something else on his mind. Sakura, on the other hand, kept walking closer to him until she tugged his jacket's sleeve. "…Huh?" he looked down at her. "Can I borrow your jacket..?" she asked in a meek voice. He smirked. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?! These guys are annoying me!"

He laughed and she huffed, looking away, blinking when she felt something wrap her bare shoulders. "I don't see what difference it makes, since they're looking at your legs and not at your top." She clung to his arm. "…Can we just go far from here?"

"Don't worry, where we're going, no one else can stare at you."

They finally arrived at their destination, and Sakura was wondering why the place was so… empty. "Where are we?" he didn't answer her and just continued walking, stopping when they reached the entrance as a guard went out to greet them. "I'm sorry Uchiha-san but in case you forgot, this place is closed on weekends until your father says so."

Sasuke gave a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, that's the reason why I came here to take my girlfriend inside."

Sakura blushed and the guard understood it the wrong way. "E-excuse me..?" he coughed. Sasuke laughed. "Well, I just want to spend some time with her alone. And if we could talk in private since we always get interrupted."

"Oh…" the guard cleared his throat. "Okay, but don't tell your father I let you in okay?"

"Sure, no problem." He took Sakura's hand and smiled at her. "Come on, it's all ours."

She quickly hugged herself when they entered the place, feeling the chilly air. "Why did you tell the guard that I was your girlfriend?"

"So that I could convince him to let us in; it's a good thing you didn't say anything in protest."

"_Duh, I was shocked."_ She thought, rolling her eyes as he sat down on a bench and removed his shoes. "Sasuke..?" he put on a pair of skates and looked at her. "Grab a pair and we can skate all we want."

"B-but-"

He looked at her as he finished tying the laces of the shoes and smirked. "What? You don't know how to?" she blushed and glared. "Of course I do! But why..?!" she gritted her teeth. _"I was expecting something like a walk in the park or a movie, or possibly the arcade and lunch…" _

"Why not?" he countered as he stood up, managing to keep his balance. "Come on." He entered the rink and skated towards the middle, turning his back to where he was heading as he looked at her, seeing her jaw hanging open and her eyes gaping at him. He smiled at her and she turned red. "If you know how to, then you wouldn't stay there."

"But it's cold!"

"You have my jacket."

"But I'm in a skirt!"

"You have leg warmers."

"But-"

"Do you or do you not know how to skate?" he asked, his smile turning to a smug look. Sakura glared at him and kicked off her shoes as she grabbed a pair of skates and slipped them on, tightening the laces while still glaring at him. She forced herself to get on her feet. _"So far so good," _she thought as she made her way to the ice. _"Hopefully I won't-"_

_Slip. Thud._

"…_fall."_

She looked up when she heard a chuckle come from Sasuke as he skated over to her and bent down a bit, hands on his knees as he smirked at her. "I knew it." He said, offering her a hand. She looked away and attempted to get up on her own but she slipped again. "Just take it Sak," he coaxed. "I won't let you fall."

As if she didn't have any other option.

"Fine…" she grabbed his hand as he pulled her up. It was hard though, since she kept slipping but he managed to get her to stand on her two feet on the rink. "Let's go skate shall we?" he smiled a bit as he held her two hands in his and skated backwards, pulling her with him. _"Is there something that he can't do?!"_ she thought. So far, Sasuke looks like he's good at everything. It's like he doesn't have a single flaw or weakness. "One, two, one, two… that's it, you're getting it." He said when she followed his every instruction.

"Some surprise…" she muttered to him, her head still down and looking at her feet. "Yeah, I know, but I wanted to go some place where we can be alone." He said, also looking down. She looked up at him when he said that, her face turning beet red and her heart pounding against her chest. _"W-what..?" _she thought, looking at him.

Sasuke blinked, feeling her stare on him that he raised his head a bit, his bangs brushing against her forehead at the process but she remained staring at him, as he did the same. They weren't aware that they were slowing down; they were just too lost and caught in the moment. "Why..?" she asked in a whisper while his eyes half-closed when she continued staring into his orbs. "Because…" he said, his voice equally soft as hers. "…I-"

The door suddenly burst open that they both attempted to pull away. Yet when they did, Sasuke managed to catch his balance but Sakura was about to fall, which resulted to her arms reaching up to grab him, pulling him down at the process. Acting quickly, he twisted their bodies, managing to switch their places as his back landed on the ice while she safely fell on to of him, getting a grunt from the Uchiha teen.

"Dang, you're heavy…" he hissed. Sakura had her eyes shut tight. "Are we dead? Are we still alive?" he rolled his eyes. "Why don't you see for yourself, gaki." She opened her eyes, blinking. She was still breathing, she still felt cold, and he was breathing under her. _"Wait! Under me..?" _she looked down, surprised to see how close their faces were. Their noses were touching already, and when she made eye contact with him, they were once again lost in the frozen time called… love… cliché as it may sound.

* * *

"A-Anou… Uchiha-san, it's not a very good idea to-"

"Nonsense now, I've called my friends to come here, and they simply must see the ice rink." The guard was then ignored as Mikoto pushed the doors open. _"Your son is not going to like this, Uchiha-san…" _the guard sighed deeply when he heard the double doors slam against the wall inside which caused a loud noise. "Oooppss… I thought they were hard to open..?" Mikoto asked herself, blinking. "Unless someone's inside…" she placed an index finger under her chin and tilted her head a bit. "I could've sworn my husband said this place was closed on weekends…"

"Mi-Mikoto-chan… isn't that… your son..?"

"Hmm..?" Mikoto turned to her friend before looking at where they were all pointing at. There, right in the middle of the ice rink was his son, his back on the ice, and on top of him was the pink-haired girl she kept seeing with Sasuke lately. "Sa… Sasu-chan?!"

"K-Ka-chan?!" Both Sasuke and Sakura looked at where the voice came from to see a group of women staring at them. "Shit, I'm dead." Sasuke muttered, his face turning beet red as Sakura blinked, staring at the middle-aged women. "Anou… who are they?"

"My… mom's friends…" he murmured, his body feeling numb from the cold. "S-Sakura… I… can't get up…" he said. "W-what?!" she pushed herself up, ignoring his protests as she suddenly slipped and landed on him again. "Ow…"

"S-Sasuke-kun! S-sorry! I didn't mean it I- I'm sorry!" she cried, going to her chibi self once again. "Just stop moving too much damn it!" He nearly yelled. Damn. His back sure hurts like hell. "What're you two doing there?!" Mikoto asked. "Um… we slipped…" he answered.

"Oh dear… my daughter will be heartbroken once she finds out about Sasuke having a girlfriend…"

"Your daughter?! What about my little girl?!"

Mikoto snapped from her staring and smiled at her friends. "Looks like we'll have to move this agenda next time! Goodbye now!" she hurriedly pushed them away, ignoring their protests as Mikoto turned to face the two teens. "Now then, why don't you explain everything to me on the way back to the mansion?" she asked with a big grin.

* * *

"For the last time mom, she's not my girlfriend…" Sakura didn't say a word, she already felt embarrassed, especially when Mikoto made her sit in-between Sasuke and her. "Now, now, you don't have to lie to me Sasu-chan! I am your mother!" she looked at Sakura and smiled. "How sweet, you even lent her your jacket! And she's a very beautiful girl too," Mikoto sighed dreamily. "My little baby's all grown up…"

He slapped a hand on his forehead and groaned, glaring at Sakura when the girl giggled. "I told you she was like your mom…"

* * *

"So, why don't you tell me all about yourself?" Mikoto suggested, handing Sakura a cup of tea as she made sure her son wouldn't leave the living room just like that. "Well, I'm the basketball team's manager and a close friend of your son." She didn't like the way Mikoto's eyes gleamed brightly at this. "_Close_ friend huh?" she wriggled her eyebrows suggestively at Sasuke who rolled his eyes. "So, anything else?"

"Um…"

They turned towards the front door where Fugaku just came in, murmuring an "I'm home" and walking pass the living room.

"3… 2… 1…" Sasuke muttered and Fugaku took a few steps back and looked at Sakura. "Uh… I didn't know we were entertaining someone today dear…" he said, addressing the statement to Mikoto who smiled. "Well, she's your son's girlfriend." Fugaku blinked and turned to Sasuke. "You beat your brother?"

Sasuke just wanted to bang his head on the wall right now…

"I see…" he said, taking a sip from his tea. "So you're that girl who played Shinkai at the play last night…" he said, nodding his head. "Sasuke only mentioned about the play, he didn't mention having a relationship with you…"

"Dad…" Sasuke was close to loosing his patience. "Yo Sasuke, mom and dad! Where are we…" Sasuke buried his face into his palms. _"Great, now Itachi's here… can this day get any worse?" _

"You know, you should come and join us for lunch Sakura-chan." Mikoto said, smiling at the girl who returned the grin and shook her head politely. "No, that would be rude. I wouldn't want to intrude on your-"

"Nonsense!" Fugaku said, getting up. "I'm sure Itachi wouldn't mind an extra company." He patted Sasuke's head. "And it's pretty obvious my youngest son would want you to come." The said teen sighed. "Gee dad, how did you know?" he asked in a sarcastic voice. _"This day just couldn't get any worse…"_

* * *

Finding herself unable to refuse, she ended up joining the Uchihas for lunch in one of the restaurants they owned. And now, she's sitting in beside Sasuke who was next to his mom. "Just order anything you want Sakura, it's on us." Fugaku said, opening the menu. "Sasuke, just assist her okay?" he nodded and turned to Sakura. "Sorry, this wasn't part of the plan I had in mind…" she smiled at him. "It's okay, your family's fun anyway." She looked at the menu that he opened for her, telling her which ones were good and which were the best-sold products.

"I can't really decide…" she whispered. "Can you order for me?"

"Sure. Iced tea?" he asked with a smirk, both of them recalling their first date. "You bet!"

They ordered their food and drinks and chatted for a while. When the food arrived, Mikoto just had to voice out her thoughts. "Dear, why don't you let Sakura-chan try this?" she suggested. Sasuke couldn't say no to her mom, otherwise, it would end up with another dramatic mood. "Aa, sure." He picked up his chopsticks and took the beef teriyaki that was on the serving plate as he turned to Sakura. "Here, mom said you should try this." He was about to place it on her bowl of rice when his mother spoke again. "Say 'Ah' Sakura-chan!" Mikoto said in her oh-so-hyper tone, causing the two teens to blush.

"E-excuse me..?" they both said, turning to Mikoto who giggled. "Come on now, what's wrong with your boyfriend feeding you? And maybe later you can do the same, ne?" Itachi watched in amusement, hiding his smirk behind the tea cup he drank from as Fugaku watched, also interested in what his wife was up to.

"Um… it's okay, Mikoto-san, I can-"

"Go on now Sasuke," Mikoto said, her brows twitching. Her son sensed this and he sighed, giving Sakura the look. She sighed as well and opened her mouth as he fed her. "Aww… how cute!" Mikoto beamed. "Mom… this is embarrassing…" Sasuke muttered, sulking when most of the customers had looked their way. _"This day just couldn't get any worse…"_

"Sa-suke-kuuuuun!"

Itachi spat his tea out as Fugaku choked on his meal. Mikoto froze and Sasuke twitched at the very perky and hyper voice of none other than Nagasaki Kurumi – his ex-fiancée.

"_I spoke too soon…" _he thought irritably, feeling the vice-like grip of Kurumi. She was glomping him, and it took all of his will power to kill the girl, especially when a steak knife was just close to his reach. "I missed you!!" she chirped, tightening her hold. "Let. Go. Nagasaki." He said, his voice's tone cold and apathetic. _"Ice…" _Sakura commented, smiling at his facial expression.

The girl noticed Sakura, and her smile turned to a frown. "Who's she?" she asked. Before Sasuke could answer, Itachi beat him to it. "Haruno Sakura, my little brother's girlfriend." Sakura blushed and Sasuke glared at his brother. Kurumi simply lowered her head. "Is that so..?" Mikoto seemed to see this as another good opportunity for Sasuke and Sakura, so…

"Kurumi-san, where are your parents?"

"Oh, they're coming here right now." She turned her head to see her parents smile and greet the family. "Long time no see, why don't you join us?" Fugaku asked, being polite even though deep down, he detested this family because of their bragging and everything. He was glad that Sasuke tore that marriage contract right in front of them before he or Mikoto could even sign it. _"I'm just glad our company wasn't failing at that time."_

On the other hand, the Nagasaki family only let the incident slide and still consider their daughter and the Uchiha's youngest son as engaged teenagers, but they just couldn't take the hint that someone actually dumped their oh-so-popular little girl. "Yes, here, have my seat Kurumi-san." Mikoto stood up and the girl eagerly took the seat, scooting a lot closer to Sasuke. "Do you mind?" he said, glaring at her. "Nope! Not at all!" she said, hugging his right arm at the process and nuzzling it with her cheek. "I missed you!"

"I didn't…" he muttered. "Let go of my arm, I'm trying to eat here!"

"Oh, let Sakura-chan feed you then Sasuke," Mikoto said with a wide smile, ignoring the looks the Nagasaki family sent her. "I'm sure that would be no problem or trouble at all, right Sakura-chan?"

"U-Um…" she gave a nod, not wanting to refuse. "H-here…" she picked up a tempura shrimp and slowly raised it to Sasuke's lips, her hands shaking a bit. Sasuke sighed and was about to open his mouth when Kurumi quickly pulled him to her. "What the-?!"

"Here! Let me!" she said, taking a piece of sushi and attempted to feed him when he suddenly stood up, startling everyone on the table. "Sorry, but I just remembered, Sakura and I have some place to go to." He pulled Sakura up as she blinked and followed him none the less, bidding goodbye to the two families and also thanking Sasuke's parents for lunch.

* * *

They both remained silent as they got in the car that they rode to get here. He told the driver to take them to the motocross track. "Sasuke..?"

"Just wait." He said.

The driver dropped them and Sasuke instructed him to go back to the restaurant and don't tell anyone of their whereabouts. He then led Sakura inside. When the guard saw them, he quickly let them in despite being closed in the early afternoon. "Um… why are we here..?" she asked. "I just wanted to be alone with you for a while, that's all…" he said, renting a motorbike as he led her to the track. "No one's here but us, and knowing Nagasaki, she hates this place. That's why I told the driver to take us here."

"Nagasaki… Kurumi…" she whispered. "Who's she?"

"My ex-fiancée…"

"W-what?!"

"You know how companies love to merge together?" she nodded. "To seal that bond, my father and Nagasaki's dad arranged our marriage, but before they could sign it, I tore it in front of them and left with a glare. My brother said he was proud I did that, my mom was a bit mad for being rude but she still respected my decision. As for my dad, I was shocked when he was the one who actually celebrated."

"Eh?"

"He hates that family, they're a bunch of snobbish brats and braggarts. They think so highly of themselves…" he muttered, leaning on the bike as he gazed at the horizon. "Nagasaki kept saying how popular she was and how all the boys in her school would die to go out with her. Well, when she set her eyes on me, she couldn't believe that I didn't bother to look at her more than once." She giggled. "So what does a girl have to do to get your attention, Uchiha Sasuke?" she asked, pretending to be a reporter.

"…they'll have to be you."

She was shocked, but she didn't want the mood to be ruined, so she leaned close to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thanks, that's pretty sweet of you." She said, smiling. He stared at her for a while, before he smirked. "Come on, I'll teach you how to ride whether you like it or not."

"EH?!"

She was nervous, that he could tell. She was sitting in front of her while he sat behind, his arms around her and hands resting on the bike's handles, where her hands were as well. "Relax Sak, I'm here." he whispered, closing his hands on hers to assure her that everything will be fine. She took a deep breathe in and gave a nod, and he started the engine as they took one lap.

* * *

"So, were you jealous about the flowers?"

"Nah…"

"Yeah right!" she grinned. "Whatever, so, got any clue who sent you those?"

"Nope." She sighed. "It's hard to figure it out too…"

"What if Lee was the one who sent you the flowers?" he asked. She blinked and thought about it for a while before grinning at him. "Why not? He's nice anyway." He gave a nod and looked at the sky. "And what if it was Kiba?" she shrugged. "He's a funny guy." Sasuke raised his brow at this. "Neji?" she blinked. "Isn't he with Ten-Ten?" he shook his head. "Well, maybe." She smiled a bit. "I mean, next to you, he's popular, why not?" he forced himself to not laugh. "Okay, what about Shikamaru?" Sakura looked at him as if he grew another head. "Just asking…" he muttered. "I guess it's okay."

"What if it was Naruto?"

"Yeah right, he's got Hinata."

"Just answer the question."

"I'll probably reject him for Hinata's sake."

"I see…" he murmured, leaning on the motor bike he rented. "What if it was me?"

She remained silent for a while, looking down to think about her answer. "…I-" she cut herself off, she wasn't sure how she would answer that question. He looked up at the sky. It was getting dark, and they had one more stop before he can take her home. "Come on," he said, leading her back to the shed where he rented the bike. "I have one more place to take you to before this date ends."

She didn't know where they were heading, and when he stopped in front of what looked like an entrance to a shrine, she sighed inwardly. _"Okay, maybe we're going to pray or something…" _he took out his white handkerchief and blindfolded her. "Sa-" he leaned close to her ear. "Relax okay? I'm not going to kidnap you or anything. Just trust me on this." He went in front of her and took her hands in his. "Just go to where I lead you okay?" she gave a nod as he told her to move forward.

She could hear music playing, and she could also hear a wave, although the place didn't smell like the sea, it's more like a lake…

"Stop here." He said, walking up behind her and untying the knot of her blindfold. He pulled the hanky as she opened her eyes, gasping at what she saw. "Whoa… what is this place..?" she asked, seeing that on the lake were bridge-like boards, sort of like a deck, except it connected all the way to the middle and edges of the lake. "Just another restaurant my mom thought up of." He guided her to the middle of the lake where a vacant table for two was. "Wow… I've never seen a restaurant like this…"

"I had to check the weather for today before I can take you here you know."

"Why?"

"Well, we're above a lake, and it's an open area, so if it rains…" he smirked at her as she smiled a bit, getting his point. "Well, this place is great…" she commented, looking around. "I knew you'd like it." He said, smiling as well as she looked at him. "I kind of figured you wanted to have something like this as a date… so the ice skating rink and motocross track were just cover-ups."

"Is there anything you can't do?" she teased and he suddenly remained quiet, a small smile on his lips. She blinked, tilting her head a bit. "Yeah…" he murmured. "I can't have you…"

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 9: Music Confession_

"No chance, no way! I won't say it, no, no!" he watched her sing, at the same time focus on the chords of the song. She kept avoiding making eye contact with him, and he couldn't understand why. _"Are you mad..?" _he thought. Sai noticed the two, and he smiled a bit. _"I think these two need a little push…"_

* * *

_A/N: Long time no see readers and reviewers! Which is why, to make it up to you, I made this chapter longer! So, Sasuke didn't bother to let Sakura answer him with regards to the flowers. Why? Well, let's just say, he doesn't want to hear it. _


	9. Music Confession

**Ironies of Life**

The engines of their motorbikes roared as the crowd cheered.

"Another night, another race; another good way to take his emotions out…" Shikamaru said. Neji gave a nod to this, watching both Sasuke and Kiba getting ready to take off. "Especially after what happened the other night…" Shino blinked, turning to his friends. "Why?" Lee lowered his head a bit. "Sasuke somehow confessed to Sakura, yet in a way, he also hinted that he's giving her up."

Naruto shot his head up to Lee. "That's not what I heard." They turned to the blonde. "He said that he just hinted what he felt for Sakura, so it's like he confessed, but she never really did say anything and thought that he was kidding." Shino flinched at that. "Ouch, that's pretty painful for him." The blonde nodded. "Exactly, and that teme just laughed afterwards and said that he can't trick Sakura anymore with his jokes, to which Sakura giggled and said that he was not fooling her again."

"Geez…" Neji sighed. "When will he learn that joking around won't really get him anywhere?"

"That's not how I see it." Shikamaru muttered, staring at Sasuke's bike that overtook Kiba. The Uchiha's speed wasn't safe at all, and he could tell that Kiba was trying his best to catch up and warn Sasuke about it. "I think he just doesn't want their friendship to be destroyed, that's why whenever they get into an awkward conversation, he dismisses it as a joke."

The group turned to Kiba and Sasuke, the latter winning the race as the former quickly stopped his bike and went to Sasuke, grabbing the Uchiha by the collar. "Looks like we'll have to stop them from doing something brutal…" he stood up, followed by Neji and the rest as they immediately went towards the two, hoping no one would get hurt.

* * *

**_Chapter 9: Music Confession_**

"What the hell is your problem anyway?!" Kiba asked, shaking Sasuke. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Sasuke remained quiet and looked at Kiba. "It's a race Kiba; we're supposed to ride as fast as we can." The dog-boy of S7 glared at him. "You idiot!" and landed a punch on Sasuke's jaw. "You're trying to run away again!" he yelled, attempting to charge at the fallen Uchiha but was stopped by Neji, Naruto and Lee. Shikamaru and Shino went to Sasuke to prevent him from doing anything rash.

"Is that all you ever do when you've got problems?! Run away?!" Kiba was throwing a fit, and it only angered him when Sasuke just remained quiet, still staring at him. "Fight back if you want, come on! Don't keep everything to yourself! Don't bottle up your emotions! You said those things to us! Now look at what you're doing!"

"Kiba, that's enough, stop it." Neji said, pulling the younger boy back. "What, Uchiha? Speak up! Why don't you just tell her straight that you're not joking to get it over with?! Stop being a martyr will you?! Why don't you be selfish for once?"

"Oi, Kiba! That's too much!" Naruto scolded. "Shut up Naruto!" he pushed the three restraining him away as he glared at Sasuke. "Get up and face everything like a man! You're part of S7! Stop running away! Stop chickening out! You're not like that!"

Sasuke lowered his head, his bangs shadowing his eyes as he opened his mouth to speak, startling Kiba on what he said. "How do you know what I'm like anyway..?" the rest turned to him as well, waiting for him to voice out his thoughts. "None of you really knows what I'm like… it's my fault for not telling you guys much about me, everything's become a mess because of me, and you keep telling me to stop being a martyr?"

He raised his head, his onyx orbs glaring at Kiba. "Do you have any idea what could happen if I do the things you told me to do?! Do you think I haven't thought about those things?!"

"Oi, Sasuke…" Shikamaru murmured. "You're telling me to fight back. I'm tempted you know, and if I didn't have self-control, I may have sent you to the hospital if I release my anger." He stood up and clenched his fists, his glare darkening more. "Don't tell me what I have to do Inuzuka! In case you haven't noticed, I'm actually trying to keep everything in order even if it means my world has to be jumbled up! I'm forcing myself to not hit you because I don't want to fight you or any member of S7!"

"But…" Kiba muttered. "…don't you see that it's still affecting us?" silence fell as Kiba continued. "Can't you see that… it's tearing us apart when we see you fighting on your own? The guilt's eating us up when we think of you standing there, fighting a lot of enemies, and we're just there in the sidelines, watching…" he gave a bitter smile and looked down. "You always fought with us; you always lent us a hand, so why can't we do the same for you?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Kiba's right you know, we're all worried whenever you beat yourself up like that. Sure we goof around a lot, but we're your friends…"

"Not to mention," Lee added. "We promised each other that we'll be friends forever, and that we'll always be there when one has a problem, no matter how tough it is."

"Shinobi Seven's motto: We fight together, we win together, we lose together." Neji reminded, smirking as he extended his hand out like Kiba, Naruto and Lee did, waiting for the others to follow suit.

"Troublesome as it may sound, it's true," he placed his hand above Neji's. "We're stuck with each other like glue." Shino nodded at this, following Shikamaru. "Not to mention, we promised that no one will be left alone to deal everything." All six of them waited for Sasuke as he lowered his head, contemplating on things before smiling a bit and placing his hand above Shino's. "Hn, thanks guys." Kiba grinned. "That's better."

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled. "S7 forever!" and they raised their fists up in the air with a cheer.

* * *

"Hey Sak," Sakura stiffened before running off elsewhere, causing Sasuke to sweat drop, wondering why she suddenly took off like that. "Was it something I said..?" he turned his head a bit to see S7 shrug at him with regards to his question. "Anyway, let's head for the auditorium. We need to have one more practice." Neji said, glancing at his guitar pack which held his bass guitar. "I can't believe Lee volunteered us for Gai-sensei's class…" 

"Well, it's not like we have any choice." Naruto said, grinning. "We are pretty popular and catchy." The rest sighed at this and just walked over to the school with Naruto glancing at them and realizing that they were leaving him behind. "Hey! Wait up!" and he ran after them, his drum sticks safely tucked in his back pocket.

* * *

"Yosh! The band is here! That's good!" Gai cheered, entering the auditorium, followed by his class. S7 fans began to cheer and squeal when they saw the group and even attempted to charge towards the stage. Gai quickly yelled at them to stop, otherwise, they'll be having minus points for their grades. 

Shino glanced at Sasuke. "Should I be playing the violin or the guitar?" The Uchiha turned to him then at the list of songs. "I'd say you play the guitar, there are some chords here that I can't do too fast in shifting."

"Now that you mentioned it…" he murmured. "Let's practice the chords."

"Hn."

Shikamaru played a few keys on the keyboard, annoyed at the girls that kept gazing at them. He sighed and shook his head. "Troublesome…"

Kiba sat near Naruto, so that in case it was Naruto's turn, or when the blonde was tired, he could replace him. In the meantime, he's in charge of the flute. Lee, on the other hand, readied himself on the violin as the whole crew of S7 started practicing some chords, keys and tunes that they need to polish on.

Gai motioned the class to have a seat as he waited for them to settle down. "Now then, I want all of you to be quiet when one is performing, no screeching, cheering or squealing. You may clap after the performance, but that's it. I don't want to hear complaints as well when I announce your scores and who gets to be paired with who. Lastly, my decision will be final, so no whines okay?"

The class nodded as Gai grinned. "Yosh! Let's get this class started!"

The door burst open as everyone turned to who disrupted them. "Oh shit, Sasuke!" the said teen turned his head to Kiba, who was looking at the door with wide eyes. The rest of the group also had the same expression as the dog boy did. "What?" he asked. "It's… it's… the banshee!!" Kiba and Naruto said, hugging each other in fright.

"Oh hell no…" Sasuke murmured, flinching when the new arrival's high-pitched voice reached his ears. "Sasuke-kun!!!!!!!!"

Hell has come…

Sakura slapped her forehead. "Nagasaki Kurumi… great, another fan girl…"

Kurumi didn't heed Gai as she leaped onto the stage and hugged Sasuke. "I finally found you! Yay! I'm joining this class too!" she chirped. A knock was heard as they all turned to see Sarutobi. "I'm sorry for interrupting your class Gai-sensei, but she's a new student, and her parents insisted the "VIP treatment" for her, and so… she asked for Uchiha Sasuke's whereabouts…"

"I see, well then, I presume that she's in this class as well?"

"Yes, she's in every one of Uchiha's class…"

Silence…

And then…

"WHAT?!" Sasuke yelled, standing up, almost dropping his guitar if it wasn't strapped around him, and instead, caused Kurumi to fall on her butt. "Ouch, mou, that hurts…" she whined but was ignored. Sasuke glared at Sarutobi, not minding how it was disrespectful right now. The principal couldn't blame him though, he knew of the boy's family background, as well as the people on his hate list. And number one on that hate list happens to be Nagasaki.

"I'm sorry Uchiha, but his parents have threatened to sue me and the faculty if I didn't succumb to her demands." Sasuke clenched his fists at this. "You can't do this to me…" Sarutobi cleared his throat. "I know, but until further notice, you'll have to live with it. I'm trying to negotiate with… him…" Sasuke gave a deep sigh and ran his fingers over his bangs, trying to calm down.

"Now then, I wouldn't want to disrupt your class further," Sarutobi said to Gai. "So I'll be on my way then." He bowed a bit and left the room. Awkward silence fell on them before Gai coughed and gave another announcement. "Alright, Nagasaki Kurumi, welcome to music class; please come down here and have a seat as S7 is about to perform."

Kurumi shook her head and remained seated beside Sasuke. "Nah, I'm having a VIP treatment, so I'll stick here." She said, hugging Sasuke's arm. "But-"

"Damn it, will you fucking bug off?!" Sasuke yelled at her, pulling his arm away from her as he glared. S7 seemed to just let him be, as if it was normal for them, but Gai was speechless after hearing something like that. Sakura's brows furrowed into one of concern, noting the pissed-off mood of her friend. "S-Sasuke-kun..?" Kurumi cried. He just continued glaring at her, not even guilty of what he did. "Sit down with the others will you?! VIP treatment my ass, that's just one of your power-tripping stunts again, now get the fuck out of my sight before I go as far as kicking you off the stage!"

"I'd love to see that happen…" Naruto whispered to Kiba.

Kurumi "hmphed" and went down the stage, crossing her arms haughtily as Gai once again cleared his throat to gain the class' attention. "Uchiha, principal's office after class, okay?" Sasuke just gave a nod, not really minding what he got himself into as he sat back down and tuned his guitar. Shino smirked at him. "You know, she's a good target to let your anger out." Sasuke just scoffed. "If I did that, my parents will be in trouble. It is really tempting to do so…"

"You got that right. We're pretty glad you're not marrying her."

"Feh, like I'd marry someone like that…"

"Yeah, especially when you have someone like Sakura." He smirked when Sasuke turned red and glared at Shino. "Shut it."

"Yosh, when I call your names, come up the stage, grab a mic and tell S7 and the class what you'll be singing, and then you can start." He took out his clipboard and looked at the first name. "Hyuuga Hinata!"

She squeaked when Sakura grinned at her. "Go Hinata-chan!" she whispered. Hinata gave a nod and nervously went up the stage, blushing when Naruto gave her a big grin and when her cousin gave a teasing smirk to her. She took a deep breathe in and took the microphone in her hands. "Anou… my song's entitled: Tsubasa. It's originally sang by Yui Makino."

_Konna ni no tooku e futari wa kiteshimatte ano koro no  
osanai kimi no hohoemi ni mou kaerenai ne  
kimi ga warau sekai de suki de  
Soba ni itai sore dake wasurekaketa itami mou mune ni_

"Ne, she's got a cute voice." Sai whispered to Sakura who nodded in agreement.

_Time goes by...  
Toki no nagare wa futari o kaetteyuku keredo  
Nakushita mono mo yume miru mono mo sono te o totte omoidasu yo  
Itsumo kimi no soba de_

Naruto made sure he didn't make a mistake in the drum beats, at the same time, listened to every word that Hinata sang. _"Ne, she's really cute…"_

As the music faded, which hinted that Hinata's song was about to end, Gai stood up and clapped his hands, followed by the class. Hinata blushed and gave a bow before walking back down from the stage. "Ne, I was really nervous…" she said, blushing. Sakura grinned at her. "I think you were great! And at least you're done now!" Hinata smiled and gave a nod.

"Alright, next, we have Uzumaki Naruto."

"Eh?!" Naruto said, causing Kiba to snicker and push him away from the seat. "Alright Naruto, get up there and I'll take over!" he held the drumsticks as Naruto gave a sheepish grin to his audience as he stood before the mic. "Anou… I'm not really confident about this but…" he clenched his fists. "For the sake of my grades and for the person I dedicate this song to, I will do this! Believe it!"

S7 sighed and gave their leader a small smile. Naruto always did have a way with encouraging himself. "Ahem! My song's entitled: Stand out!" the intro started as he tapped his foot to the beat and gave a confident grin.

_Open up your eyes and take a look at me  
If the picture fits in your memory  
I've been dreamin' by the rhythm like the beat of a heart  
And I won't stop until I start to stand out_

_Stand out…_

Sasuke sighed. _"Here goes nothing…" _he thought, bracing himself for Naruto's supposed concert.

_Some people settle for the typical thing  
Livin' all their lives waitin' in the wings  
It ain't a question of 'if', just a matter of time  
Before I move to the front of the line_

_And once you're watchin' ev'ry move that I make  
Ya gotta believe that I got what it takes!_

"Here it comes…" Shino muttered.

_To stand out  
Above the crowd  
Even if I gotta shout out loud!  
'Til mine is the only face you see  
Gonna stand out 'til you notice me_

Funny, even Gai's dancing to the beat as Hinata giggled at Naruto's performances. Everything seemed to go well, and Gai continued calling random people to sing. "Next, Uchiha Sasuke."

His fans had to suppress their squeals, just like how they stopped themselves from cheering when Naruto was the one singing earlier. Sasuke seemed to hesitate at first before standing up along with his guitar, telling Shino that he can handle this, and also gesturing Neji for the second voicing.

Sasuke sighed and made sure his guitar was secured on him before adjusting the mic's stand. Gai then smirked inwardly, remembering what Kakashi told him to do. "So, before you start, what's the title of the song?"

"Fallin'."

"And it's about..?"

Sasuke sweat dropped. How come Gai asked him and not the others?

"Er… falling in love with a friend..?" he answered unsurely.

"I see…" he wrote a few things down and grinned. "Is this dedicated to someone?"

"W-what?!"

"Yeah!" Naruto answered, grinning when Sasuke glared at him.

"May we know who?"

Ayaka smirked. "No duh, it's obviously dedicated to me, Sasuke-kun's number one fan!"

Kurumi glared at Ayaka. "Pfft, you wish, he said it was about falling in love with a friend, therefore it has to be for me!"

"You're not even his friend…" Sai commented, smiling at Kurumi who glared at him. "Who asked you?!" Sai shrugged. "I'm just saying. And besides, we're all sure that it's not for you since you just got yelled and rejected earlier." He turned to Sasuke. "Right captain?" for once, Sasuke was thankful that Sai was around. At least he can annoy Kurumi.

"Why you-"

"Does it really matter on who he dedicated the song to?" Sakura said, "I mean if he doesn't want to say it, why force him to?" she gave a slight smile to Sasuke. "I'm pretty sure he'd rather keep it to himself."

"_Sakura…"_

Gai smiled a bit. "Alright then, let's leave it a mystery," he gave a nod to Sasuke. "You may start." Sasuke nodded and began plucking the strings of his guitar for the intro. "Oh…" he began. "Yeah…"

_Our little conversations  
Are turning into little sweet sensations  
And they're only getting sweeter every time_

It's true though, their conversations always turned into jokes and later on, flirting with each other. Naruto just had to smirk at this. _"You're lucky she saved you from embarrassment, otherwise, I could've yelled her name when Gai-sensei asked who you dedicated the song to."_

_Our friendly get-togethers  
Are turning into visions of forever  
If I just believe this foolish heart of mine _

_I can't pretend that I'm just a friend  
'Coz I'm thinking maybe we were meant to be_

He gave a nod to Shikamaru to start the piano key, and also to Naruto for the drum beats. Sakura, for some strange reason, blushed when she got the words of the songs. _"Is he..?" _

_I think I'm fallin'  
Fallin' in love with you  
And I don't  
I don't know what to do  
I'm afraid you'll turn away  
But I'll say it anyway  
I think I'm fallin for you  
I'm fallin for you_

Kiba recalled their fight yesterday. Sasuke mentioned something about being scared of what may happen to their friendship, and he couldn't help but give a sad smile to his friend. _"Geez, you're more of an idiot than I thought…"_

_Whenever we're together  
I'm wishing that goodbye's would turn to never  
'Coz with you is where I always wanna be_

_Whenever I'm beside you all I really wanna do is hold you  
No one else but you has meant this much to me_

Hinata smiled at this. _"Which explains why he always walks her home, even though his house is nearer than hers." _she shook her head at this. _"And no one really did mean much to him besides Sakura-chan…"_

Gai was scribbling a few things on his clipboard. _"Well, I'm definitely pairing Naruto up with Hinata…" _he thought, looking up when Sasuke was done. "Yosh, very inspiring song to those who are falling in love with their friends!" he cheered. "Last but not least," he looked at Sakura who realized she was the only one left. "Haruno Sakura!"

She gulped and stood up, breathing in and out as she reached the stage. "Nervous?" she looked up to see Sasuke adjusting the mic to her height. She looked away, her face tinted red, and Sasuke gave her a questioning look. _"She's been ignoring me since this morning…" _he sighed and turned his back to her to walk back to where Shino was. "Good luck potato." He said, grinning at her before he completely left her alone up front.

"My song's entitled: I won't say I'm in love." She sighed. "Ino and Ten-Ten volunteered to do the back-up, even if I said it wasn't necessary…" Gai nodded and asked the same question he asked Sasuke earlier. "It's about what?"

"Denying that you're… in love…"

"I see, for whom?"

"U-um… someone…" she blushed, looking away.

"So, another secret eh?" Gai said, scribbling things down again. "Alright, begin."

_If there's a prize for rotten judgment,  
I guess I've already won that.  
No man is worth the aggravation  
That's ancient history, been there, done that!_

Ino and Ten-Ten suddenly appeared, happy and dancing as they sang:

_Who'd'ya think you're kiddin'  
He's the Earth and heaven to you  
Try to keep it hidden  
Honey, we can see right through you  
Girl, ya can't conceal it  
We know how ya feel and  
Who you're thinking of _

Sakura sighed inwardly. They were teasing her again.

"No chance, no way! I won't say it, no, no!" he watched her sing, at the same time focus on the chords of the song. She kept avoiding making eye contact with him, and he couldn't understand why. _"Are you mad..?" _he thought. Sai noticed the two, and he smiled a bit. _"I think these two need a little push…"_

_You swoon, you sigh  
Why deny it, uh-oh_

She noted Ten-Ten and Ino grinning at her.

_It's too cliche  
I won't say I'm in love  
I thought my heart had learned its lesson  
It feels so good when you start out  
My head is screaming get a grip, girl  
Unless you're dying to cry your heart out  
Oh..._

Ten-Ten and Ino took this as their next cue:

_You keep on denying  
Who you are and how you're feeling  
Baby, we're not buying  
Hon, we saw ya hit the ceiling  
Face it like a grown-up  
When ya gonna own up  
That ya got, got, got it bad_

Sakura closed her eyes. "No chance, now way, I won't say it, no, no!"

_Give up, give in  
Check the grin you're in love_

"_Am I always smiling when I'm around him?" _she thought, slowly opening her eyes. "This scene won't play; I won't say I'm in love."

_You're doin flips read our lips  
You're in love_

"_Maybe I am…" _she thought, smiling. "You're way off base, I won't say it. Get off my case, I won't say it!" Ten-Ten and Ino approached closer to her: "Girl, don't be proud, it's okay you're in love…" she looked down. "Oh…" and raised her head to smile. "At least out loud, I won't say I'm in… love…"

Everyone clapped, some were just forced to clap: namely Sasuke's fans and Kurumi, but heck, they still clapped.

"Now then, I'll be giving you all a little break," he glanced at S7. "Especially the band since they've been playing the whole time." Gai gave his class a grin. "So go ahead and enjoy a five-eight minute break while I score and choose the pairs!"

* * *

Sasuke sighed and leaned back against the wall of the stage, isolating himself from the rest. Since it was free-period for the mean time, he didn't want to be disturbed. "Um…" he opened his eyes and looked up to see Sakura standing before him, head turned elsewhere. _"Well, except her…" _she looked at him. "Should I leave you alone here?" 

"Nah, it's okay."

She smiled a bit and sat down beside him, hugging her knees close to her chest as she let her chin rest on top of them. "You must be wondering why… I'm… ignoring you…"

"Yeah, you can say that."

"Well, I wanted to keep my distance until my turn came up." She said. "I feel nervous when I sing and know that you're there, so I'd much rather pretend to not know you so I wouldn't have to forget the lyrics…" she said, blushing. He turned to her and smirked. "Gaki." She blinked and looked at him. "I thought you were mad at me." She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't think you'd see it that way."

He poked her arm. "Gaki." He said again. "Great, first you call me potato, now you call me gaki. Make up your mind!" he stuck his tongue out at her. "I'll call you whatever I want." He grinned. "You don't own me anyway."

"Heh." She said, glancing at his palm. "Ne, may I see your palm?" she asked. He blinked and handed her his palm. "Let's see…" she whispered. "Your personality in love happens to be…" she grinned. "You're actually a prideful person?" she looked up at him and smiled. "I never thought you'd be that type of person." She said, studying his palm further. "You know, you're going to regret it if you don't tell her soon."

"Hn." He sighed inwardly. _"I did, but you kept thinking it was a joke…"_ he turned to her. "So, you know how to read palms…" she nodded. "What about yours?" he asked. She looked down at this. "I can't read mine, otherwise, I'll be cursed." He looked ahead of him, remaining silent for a while before turning back to her. "Do you want to know that badly?" she gave a nod. "I see…" he murmured, absent-mindedly strumming at his guitar.

"Don't your fingers hurt?"

"Not really," he answered. "I'm pretty used to it already."

"Oh…" she whispered. "Still though, your hands are pretty calloused with guitar-playing and basketball…" she said. "Yet how come they're not that rough to the touch?"

He grinned at her. "It's in the genes."

"Haha, very funny!" she punched his arm playfully and smiled. "So," she looked down again. "I don't know who the person you dedicated the song to, can you tell me?"

"…no."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

He shook his head. "Just because…" he stood up when Gai had called them. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure you'll figure it out, unless you're that dense." He walked over to his friends, leaving Sakura staring at him. "…what does he mean by that?"

* * *

"Now then, the pairs are as follows. Since Sai and Kurumi are new students, I decided to pair them up for the duet." This caused the girl to complain while Sai simply grinned. "How lovely…" he jokingly said to Sakura who giggled. "Then we'll be having Hinata and Naruto." 

"Sweet!" Naruto said, throwing a fist in the air as Hinata blushed. _"Please don't pair me up with a fan girl…" _Sasuke thought, cringing when his girl classmates were giggling at him. "And finally!" Gai said. "We have Sasuke and Sakura!"

"WHAT?!" Ayaka and Kurumi hollered.

Sasuke turned to Sakura who looked at him. They blinked, and grinned. "Looks like we're stuck again…" she said. "Heh, you're lucky, I'm cursed." He teased. "You mean person you!" she murmured. "Heh. Gaki."

* * *

"Anou… Hinata-chan, what're we going to sing..?" 

"I… don't know…" she said in a meek voice. "Ne, are you comfortable with the song 'I'll never go'?" he asked. Hinata smiled. "Mm. I know the lyrics, but how do we duet that?" she asked. He grinned. "Leave it to me! I'll nod at you when it's your turn!"

"Okay…"

"Alright Hinata, Naruto, go up the stage and sing."

"Sensei… what if we don't know the chords..?" Shino asked.

"Oh, it's okay, with or without."

Naruto grinned at them. "You guys know this," he said. "The title's 'I'll Never Go'." The gang nodded as they prepared themselves. Naruto turned to Hinata as he waited for the intro.

_You would always ask me  
Those words I say  
And telling me what it means to me  
_

_Every single day  
You always act this way  
For how many times I told you  
I love you  
For this is all I know_

He gave a nod to Hinata who drew the mic closer to her lips.

_Come to me and hold me  
And you will see  
The love I give  
For you still hold the key_

_Every single day  
You always act this way  
For how many times I told you  
I love you  
For this is all I know_

They both started the chorus.

_I'll never go far away from you  
Even the sky will tell you  
That I need you so  
For this is all I know  
I'll never go far away from you_

Naruto smiled at her.

_Come to me and hold me  
And you will see  
The love I give  
For you still hold the key_

_Every single day  
You always act this way_

He nodded at her and she took over.

_For how many times I told you  
I love you  
For this is all I know_

And again, they both sang the chorus as S7 played their instruments. Gai clapped his hands, followed by the class as Hinata and Naruto blushed and bowed down before them. Hinata giving a shy smile while Naruto gave a sheepish grin, at the same time, scratch the back of his head.

* * *

Gai called on the next pairs one by one. Sometimes, he cringed, sometimes, he smiled. There were times though, he covered his ears and told the pair to stop and come down. He was saving the best for last, and he was hoping that these two would be good at singing together as they were during their solo act earlier. "Lastly, Sasuke and Sakura..!" 

"Oi, Uchi-Suke, what're we going to sing?" he shrugged, tuning his guitar again. "What songs do you know?" she thought of the few songs that she memorizes and only one more popped into her head besides her solo song. "I have one but I don't think you know it."

"What's the song?"

"Everytime we touch…"

"…what's that?"

"See?! I told you!"

"Sensei," Sasuke turned to Gai who raised a brow in question. "Is it okay if we can have five minutes for a while to… review the lyrics?"

"Oh, sure." He turned to Sakura. "Okay, sing the song."

"Are you sure you can memorize it in time?!"

"Gaki, it's a song, therefore, if there's a tune, it's easy to memorize it." She sighed and sang the song to him. "Okay, so the chorus seems pretty easy." He said, looking for the right chords. "Is this the tune?" he asked, playing the song on his guitar. Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at him. "How the heck do you do that?!" she asked. He smirked at her. "Another Uchiha trait I guess."

"Are you two ready?" Gai asked.

"Yeah." Sasuke answered as he walked up to the front with Sakura. He glanced at S7. "Guys, we're gonna improvise on this okay? I'm counting on you to know what to do by the second stanza. The beat's pretty easy." He said, earning nods from his friends as he turned to the mic, leaving Sakura to do the introductions. When she began the first stanza, he strummed on his guitar.

"I still hear our voice when you sleep next to me..." She sang. "I still feel your touch in my dreams…" she glanced at Sasuke who took this as his cue to sing his line. "Forgive me my weakness but I don't know why," he shifted his fingers to change the chord. "Without you it's hard to survive…"

From the first parts of the song, it was only him playing as they both sang the chorus part.

"'Coz everytime we touch I get this feeling, everytime we kiss I swear I could fly!" he stopped as she continued. "Can't you feel my heartbeat fast, I want this to last," she turned to him and smiled a bit. "Need you by my side." And he joined her again. "'Coz everytime we touch I feel the static and everytime we kiss I reach for the sky!" she stopped this time as he did a solo. "Can't you feel my heartbeat so, I can't let you go. Want you in my life."

He gave a nod to the rest who did whatever they could to make the song more catchy and lively as an instrumental break happened for a while. The music toned down a bit as Sakura began once more, facing Sasuke to add more feeling to the song to make it look more like a live concert and song dedication. "Your arms are my castle; your heart is my sky. They wipe away tears that I cry…" he continued for her. "The good and the bad times, we've been through them all." Then they both began. "You make me rise when I fall…"

This time, S7 joined the chorus instrumental part. "'Coz everytime we touch I get this feeling." She sang. "Everytime we kiss I swear I could fly. Can't you feel my heartbeat fast, I want this to last, need you by my side." He continued for her once more. "'Coz everytime we touch I feel the static and everytime we kiss I reach for the sky. Can't you feel my heartbeat so," he leaned closer. "I can't let you go, want you in my life."

Again, another instrumental break as Hinata, Ino and Ten-Ten giggled at the two performers, loving every moment that happened while Sai smiled at the two.

"'Coz everytime we touch I get this feeling, everytime we kiss I swear I could fly!" they readied for the last part as all instruments stopped, leaving Shikamaru to play a solo piano of the song's tune: "Can't you feel my heartbeat fast, I want this to last, need you by my side…"

Gai's jaw was hanging open. He had no idea they were this good…

"Please tell me you guys didn't play on your own will..?" he asked. "Please tell me that you played it with a copy of keynotes and chords and…" he trailed off when they all shook their head as Sasuke spoke: "It was random…"

"No way! And you managed to come up with an ending like what you did?!"

A flashback of the two toning their voices down as they leaned closer, as if for a kiss, appeared in Gai's head. "That was too good…" he said, giving them a perfect score. "Alright, I have decided. One of the two pairs I have chosen to perform for the dance will be Uchiha and Haruno!" he said, pointing at them as their friends cheered. "So please prepare a romantic lovey-dovey song when it's time." He grinned as they slowly nodded. "Now, I can't decide for our other pair…" he murmured. "How about Naruto and Hinata..?" Sai suggested, turning to the two who blushed. Gai grinned at this. "Good choice! So we have a NaruHina and SasuSaku combination for the dance!"

He earned a sweat drop from his students.

"He just combined our names…" Naruto muttered.

* * *

She sighed and lowered her head on her folded arms above the table of the library. She was glad that she had a free period right now, but bored that Hinata had Ikebana and there was no one else she knew who had free period like her. _"I wonder what my personality in love is..?" _she asked herself, looking at her palms before she sighed again. _"…Sasuke-kun…" _she closed her eyes, images of him plaguing her thoughts. _"…I…" _she recalled what he said on their last date. 

"_I can't have you…"_

Her fists clenched as she laid her forehead on her folded arms. _"Why..? What do you mean..? Do you… love me..? Love me more than a friend..?"_

"_It's about falling in love with a friend…"_

She could remember his words clearly when Gai had asked him what his song was a about. Sakura raised her head and slowly opened her eyes, gazing at the shelf full of books just a few feet away from her. "Falling in love with a friend…" her eyes half-closed as she began to think some more. "While mine's about denying that you're in love… which means…" she sighed. "Am I denying that I love him..?"

Her mouth opened as she sang in a soft tune.

"No chance… no way… I won't say it no, no…" she smiled a bit, recalling the lyrics that Ino and Ten-Ten sang as back-up. "Give up, give in, check the grin you're in love…" she thought about it for a while, thinking…

"He's the earth and heaven… to me..?" she asked herself. "I swoon and sigh..?" a little later, she sighed in frustration and held her head with her right hand. "Man, can this get any harder?"

"Which one..?"

She almost jumped when she heard a voice that she turned her head, blushing to see who it was. "I… didn't see you there…"

"How could you? You have your back turned to me..." He countered, smirking when she blushed in embarrassment. "Erm…" she looked away as he laughed. "I'm kidding gaki." And sat down beside her, leaning back a bit as the chair he sat on tipped on the back legs of the wooden seat. "Free period?" he asked and she nodded. "Bored?" again, she nodded. "Wanna play a game?" she turned to him as he grinned. "Let's play 6 questions."

"Isn't that supposed to be ten?"

"Yeah, but we might run out of time," he said. "And it's hard to think of that many questions." She nodded. "So, three questions each..?" he gave a nod. "Wanna start?" he asked. She grinned. "Nah, it's you're idea so you start."

"Hmm…" he began to think. "Have you ever had a crush on someone before Naruto?" She looked up, thinking if there was someone before shaking her head. "Okay then, your turn." she grinned. "I can't think up of one, so, somewhat same question, have you ever had a crush on someone?" Sasuke shrugged. "I always get confused whether I do or not."

"Fair enough..."

"Okay, do you miss hanging around with me when you're not with me?"

She blushed. "Eh?!" and he smirked. "What, it's just a question!"

"Oh fine," she muttered. "Yeah, I do…"

"That's good to hear." He said, turning to the front.

"Okay, were you jealous when you saw me hanging out with Sai..?"

"Huh?"

She grinned. "Just answer the question."

He looked down. "Yeah…" she smiled at him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "That's so cute Sasuke-kun!" she chirped, grinning at him as he looked at her, blushing. "Hn," he thought about his last question. "Do you… love someone right now?" he asked as his eyes half-closed. Sakura blinked and looked up. "Well, I think I do…" she answered. "That's not really a direct answer you know."

"Well, I think I do, because… I don't know, I just… do…"

"Alright, I won't push it."

She smiled at him. "Thanks." And looked at her hands. "Same question." She said. He smirked. "You keep copying my questions." She laughed a bit. "Sorry, I actually want to know your answers to those…" he sighed. "Well, yeah, I do." He answered, and she gaped at him, studying his expression. "But I don't think… she feels the same way…" she looked down. "Oh, sorry to hear that…" he shook his head. "Don't be." And he smiled and got up, offering a hand to her. "Come on, I'll walk you to class."

Sakura took his hand as he pulled her up, both standing there for a while, contemplating on things, wishing that they had more time and more chances to ask questions just so that they'll know who the other loves. Yet somehow, a part of them were relieved to not know who the other loved. He coughed and caught her attention. "Come on." He said again.

* * *

As they walked down the hallways in silence, Sasuke stopped when Sarutobi opened his office door and saw the two of them. He smiled and motioned the two to come over as they blinked and went inside. "I heard from Gai-sensei about your outburst earlier Sasuke," he said as he sat down, telling the two to have a seat as well. "And even though it was quite… disrespectful to hear," he smirked. "Good job on telling her off." 

The two teens blinked, wondering why Sarutobi said something like that. "Anyway, I've talked to him about it, and he was furious that he also told Nagasaki's parents off." Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief, not really believing what the principal just said. "Tou-san… did..?" he asked. Sarutobi chuckled. "Yes, he was mad that the girl still continued tailing you that he practically stormed in here with your mother and Nagasaki's parents."

Sakura wondered why she was here though…

"Anyway, bad news is, she's still your classmate, but we had her in drama class and made sure she isn't aware of your other class, which is cooking. We handed her your old record, wherein you were still in computer class. And as for basketball, I think she already knows," he turned to Sakura. "Which is why I called you here as well, Sakura…"

"Eh..?"

"Yes, you see…" he cleared his throat. "Mikoto-san and Fugaku-san said that you were Sasuke's girlfriend." He saw Sasuke slap his forehead at this and Sakura blushing. "Nagasaki's parents kept arguing that that was impossible and even accused Sasuke as a two-timer. Of course, Mikoto-san did not take this lightly and yelled that their daughter was a… slut…"

"Pfft, it's true." Sasuke muttered. "With all the guys she's dated, I wouldn't be surprised if she ever got a disease from sleeping with those guys…"

"What made you say that?" the principal asked.

"Konoha's the only decent high school in this country, as far as I know. The rest, especially Sound High, well, let's say that when two students go on a date, it automatically means they already did it, and Nagasaki just happens to come from Sound High."

"W-what?!" Sakura and Sarutobi asked. "Shikamaru had a friend from Sound who committed suicide because her parents disowned her when she told them she was pregnant, and when the guy wouldn't take responsibility."

"I… see…" Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Anyway, as a compromise, we warned Nagasaki's parents that if she were to bother you all the time, she'll be suspended, or if ever you do snap, she'll be expelled."

"Can I snap now..?" Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes when Sakura giggled. Sarutobi smirked. "I don't think so, that wouldn't be fair. Anyway, Sakura." He turned to the girl. "Maybe it's best if you and Sasuke pretend to have a relationship."

"But-"

"Come on, if you want Nagasaki away from you," he said to Sasuke. "Then accept this." He turned to Sakura. "And I do believe you get annoyed too when someone bothers your... friend…" the way he said the word friend made Sakura think that he was hinting something else, but Sasuke didn't seem to notice and just stared at the ceiling.

"So what do you say?"

"Fine." They both said.

"Alright, let the acting begin!"

* * *

Sakura clenched her fists at her sides as they walked down the corridor; Sasuke had his in his pockets and walking calmly, as if nothing happened. "I can't believe this is happening!" she said in frustration. Sasuke turned to her and smirked. "I don't see what the problem is…" he shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean," he glanced at her. "I think it's going to be fun to annoy Nagasaki." Sakura blinked and looked at him with a raised brow. "Are you sure that's all?" she asked. He smirked and stopped walking, then turned to face her. "Why? Were you expecting something else?" he asked, taking a step closer to her as she stepped back, her face red again. "Were you?" he asked, one hand still in his pocket. His free arm pressed against the wall behind Sakura, just above her head as he bent down a bit, his head hovering above hers. 

"S-Sasuke..?" she stammered.

"What? No term of endearment?" he leaned closer. "…Sakura-chan?"

"Ne, if you're joking, this isn't funny!"

"Hm," his smirk broadened. "What makes you think I am?" he lowered his head as she shut her eyes, her heart beating fast. _"This is not funny, this is just a sick joke he's playing again…"_she thought, feeling his lips touch her forehead as she opened her eyes and blinked a few times. He pulled back and gave a small smile. "Why do you always make me feel guilty anyway?" he asked, patting her head lightly as he placed his hand in his pocket and turned from her, heading to class, stopping as he glanced back. "Coming?"

She glared at him and walked briskly pass him, bumping her shoulders with him on purpose as he laughed. "Come on, why are you so pissed?" he asked, catching up to her as she ignored him, her cheeks puffed. "You look like a blow fish." He said, poking one side of her cheek as she stopped and glared at her with puppy dog eyes. He laughed and placed a hand on her head. "A cute blow fish." He said, his voice having a sweet tone to it as she flushed and turned away. He poked her on the tip of her nose lightly as she looked back at him. He lowered his head near her ear. "My cute blow fish…" he murmured and straightened himself up as he walked pass her.

Sakura stared at his retreating back, wondering if that was part of his act or if it was real. Her inner says it wasn't an act at all.

"By the way," he said, turning back to her as she stopped walking. "My mom's asking me to invite you to our grandparents' farm on our break next week, think you can make it?" She shrugged. "I'll ask my mom, but knowing her when it comes to you," she grinned. "I'm pretty sure she'll say yes."

* * *

"Hustle up!" Zabuza said. "Move it! Why are you all slacking and talking?!" he asked. Idate turned to Zabuza. "Sensei, didn't you hear?" he asked. "Sasuke-san and Sakura-san are actually together." 

"Aren't they always?" Zabuza retorted.

"No, as in, they're a couple now sensei!" Kiba yelled. The doors burst open as Naruto came running in with a big grin. "I've just confirmed it, teme and Sakura are official!" he yelled.

"It's about time!" some of the team said, murmuring and such. Zabuza stood there, dazed at first before shaking his head. "Anyway, GET BACK TO PRACTICE YOU MAGGOTS!" he yelled, causing everyone to quickly run around the court and play basketball. He turned to Naruto who was telling Hinata what he witnessed. "Yeah, they were on the rooftop and teme was like really sweet and all to her and she didn't seem to mind at all! And then I heard it!"

* * *

_**Flashback:**_

"I've been looking all over for you gaki."

Sakura looked up and glared at Sasuke. "Stop calling me that." He grinned. "What do you want me to call you? Potato..?" she twitched. "Or do you want blow fish?" she stood up and attempted to walk away when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Wha-?!"

"Sit down for a while." He said, pulling her down with him. "What do you- Strawberry milk!!" she beamed, seeing what he held up in front of her as she took it and tackled him to a hug, causing him to fall down on his back with her on top as she kept thanking him over and over. He sighed and shook his head. "Alright already, I get it." He said, sitting back up as she giggled and sipped the straw of the carton milk. "Lend me one of your palms." He said. She shrugged and did so, glancing at him when she just realized what he said.

"What're you doing?"

"Reading your palm regarding your personality in love…"

She blinked. "But mastering that takes a full month!"

"It only took me two hours last night." He said, his eyes studying the lines on her palm. "Let's see… you're a pretty happy-go-lucky girl on the outside," he turned to her with serious eyes that she blinked. "But inside, you're actually having a lot of problems that you keep to yourself." He turned back to her palm. "You can't tell the person you love your feelings, because you're afraid to hurt him, and for that, you wonder if he loves someone else or feels the same way as you do."

"_Damn, he's good." _She thought, sipping her strawberry milk. "Worst thing is…" he let go of her hand as he turned to face her again. "You won't be able to tell him, and you'll regret it one day, because someday, he'll leave you, not for another girl, but perhaps, for another country or something." He shrugged. "That's the only thing I can read and interpret, the rest seem to be a bit difficult to decipher."

She looked down, her heart clenching at the thought of him leaving. "Ne, if you were in my position," she looked at him. "What would you do?" his gaze softened as he placed a hand on her cheek, pushing some strands of her hair away from her face, then he gave her smile. "I'll tell that person my feelings, before it's too late." He leaned close to her face. "Then… I love you…" he smirked. "I know." And he gave her a light kiss on the lips.

"Oh shit…" Naruto whispered to himself, a big grin forming as he quickly went down the stairs to tell the news.

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

"Are you sure about that Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. 

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because they both have keen senses, so they probably did that to fool you…"

"Nah! Why should they?"

* * *

"Do you think he bought that?" she asked, looking down from the school's rooftop as the whole students below were running, gossiping and etc. Sasuke was beside her, also looking down at the small specs, from his view, running around. He closed his eyes when he heard a group of girls yell a "What" before fainting, that he smirked. "Yeah, he did." They looked at each other and laughed. First phase: Get the whole school to know their relationship has been done. Now for the next phase, make them believe. 

"Come on," he said. "I think the gym would be a good place to get them to believe." He held her hand in his ad she blushed. "Come on then, blow fish."

"Cut it out!" she said. "Can't help it." He said. "Why don't you think up of a name for me then so that you could get back at me?" she sighed. "Fine, I'll call you neko-chan." She grinned, forming a peace sign as he blinked and looked at her. "Why?" she noticed some students they walked pass glance at them that she stopped and so did he. She smiled brightly at him, her cheeks stained with small tints of red. "Because you're my little neko-chan!" he smirked and caught on to what she was hinting that he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. "Alright blow fish, let's go."

They reached the gym after Sasuke changed into his jersey, stopping by the door when they noticed everyone staring at them. _"Wow, news sure spread fast…" _Sakura thought. "Um… hi..?" they both said. "It is true!" Kiba yelled, pointing at them. Shino merely gave a nod as Shikamaru muttered a troublesome under his breath. Naruto gave a grin. "See, I told you!"

"I still don't believe it." They turned their heads to the other doorway, where Ayaka and her gang, along with Kurumi, stood, glaring at Sakura particularly. "Neko-kun…" Sakura said in a scared voice, tugging at Sasuke's jersey. "Are they glaring at me?" Sasuke laughed nervously and looked at her. "Apparently…"

"_This is too easy…" _They both thought.

Kurumi pointed at Sakura. "I, Nagasaki Kurumi, challenge you, Haruno Sakura, to a one-on-one game in basketball to win Uchiha Sasuke!"

"…"

That was everyone's reaction. Kiba and Naruto burst out laughing. "You've got to be kidding me! You?! A banshee?! Play basketball?!" Kiba began to roll on the ground from too much laughing as Naruto kept hitting the gym floor with his hand. "I can't believe a banshee like you will even be able to dribble the ball!"

Everyone started snickering when Naruto and Kiba called Kurumi a banshee, which led to the girl blushing – hard. "S-shut up! I can lay as good as any of you!" she said haughtily. Ayaka stepped up this time. "Alright Haruno, get four more female players to play against us if you're too chicken to play by yourself," she smirked at this. "Unless all your female friends hate you too…"

"No we don't." Ten-Ten came in, followed by Ino. "We'll glad kick your butts!" Ino yelled.

"Hmph, there's only three of you…"

Hinata stepped up. "I'll play along."

"Only four…"

Sakura sighed and stepped up. "There's no need for any game or challenge." She said. Ayaka glared and smirked again. "You are too chicken to face us." Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, giving a smirk as well. "No, it's just that I'm not the same as all of you," her tone became serious. "What do you take Sasuke-kun for?! He's a person damn it, he's not an object that you can just win with a game!"

Said teen smirked, silently rooting for Sakura.

Kurumi twitched. The girl was right but she won't back down. "Oh yeah? Well, he's my fiancé! You're a bitch and a slut for stealing him from me!" she yelled. Naruto and Kiba winced at her tone. Sakura was about to open her mouth when Sasuke stepped up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Listen Nagasaki," he said. "Unless you want me to not further embarrass you in front of a lot of people, I suggest you just shut the fuck up and leave us alone."

"Why are you defending that girl?" Kurumi asked in her fake, puppy-eyes. "What has she done to you Sasuke-kun?"

"Don't. Ever. Call. Me. That. Again." He said. "And for your information, I'm not your fiancé! I just ripped that contract right in front of you and your good-for-nothing parents! You even wailed like a stupid child! And lastly, the girl you're referring to is my girlfriend!"

Everyone gasped; finally, their questions were confirmed. But,

"Prove it."

They all turned to see another fan girl approach. "Prove to us that you two are really a couple." Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair as Sakura shook. This was not supposed to happen. "You want proof?" Sasuke began as he turned to Sakura, grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to him, her lips crashing against his as everyone stared. Sakura didn't do anything for a while until he deepened the kiss. She closed her eyes and responded, her hands wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer as her fingers entangled themselves on his hair.

Sasuke had one hand go behind her neck and head to pull her closer, his other hand around her waist to keep her from pulling away just yet. Although, he was unaware that she wasn't even planning to end their kiss just like that.

Inner Sakura had to squeal. _"French! French!" _she yelled, the outer kicking inner away to prevent her from bother them. "Oh… my…"

_Thud._

S7 turned to the fan girls, wondering why none of them fainted.

"Zabuza-sensei!"

They turned to Haku to see him run towards a fallen Zabuza. "He fainted?!" Kiba asked, bewildered. "Oh my God! Our coach must be a pedophile! Or maybe he's gay!"

* * *

They walked home in silence that night, still awkward about the whole incident. It was hard to continue pretending after their heated kiss, but they had to, so that the school will continue believing. "Sasuke-kun…" he turned to her, seeing her head lowered a bit and her fingers touching her lips. "Sorry…" he whispered. "I didn't mean to… kiss you that hard…" she smiled a bit. "It's okay, but I swear, I will get my revenge on you for that." She joked, seeing her house up ahead. "I'll inform you about the farm thing okay?" she asked. He gave a nod as he began to take his leave. 

"Neko-kun!"

He turned, surprised himself that he responded. She giggled. "Ja ne!" she pecked him on the cheek and ran inside her home, giggling behind the door as Sasuke let what just happened to register in his head. He smirked and turned, heading back to his apartment. "Hn, gaki…"

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 10: Lost_

"Oi, gaki…"

She looked up, her mind playing déjà vu when he stared at her, his hair and face wet from the rain, his clothes soaking from the downpour, and she found herself in his arms again, crying, and he too, had a replay of when he found her after Naruto's rejection. Only this time, she got lost because of him, but now…

"It's okay…" she felt his arms wrap around her waist in a protective manner. "I promise…" he whispered. "…I'll always find you when you get lost…"

He promised her something that he will forever keep, he promised to be her light when she was stuck in the darkness, and that was a vow that he would never break, a vow that she will always believe in.

* * *

_A/N: From the sneak peek, I think you can recall that a moment/scene like that happened on chapter 5: Words. Anyway, more to come on the next chapter! And as for the Sound High thing, well, I heard from a friend who has a Japanese friend that in Japan, when you actually date someone, you go as far as doing it.  
_


	10. Lost

_A/N: Hey guys… I'm really sorry for the late update. My brother just needs help with his job so I'm offering to lend a hand, and he even pays me to do it. He just got me a silver iPod nano, and that's even more than what I'm working for, so up to now, the job's time consuming. I won't go to details though; I don't really want to explain. _

_**Before we proceed to the chapter of IoL, I just want to rant and express my feelings… Note that you are free to skip this and remain unaware of why I'm **__**SLOW**__** in updating lately…**_

_Is it me or did most of the SasuSaku fans turned into either NaruSaku or SaiSaku? Seriously, I still haven't recovered from an incident that happened before. She's a really good friend of mine who influenced me on SasuSaku. I admired her for her devotion to the pairing when suddenly, she shifted to SaiSaku and when I asked her about SasuSaku, she just… sort of, laughed… _

_So I'm a bit emo right now when a fellow SasuSaku fan turns into a NaruSaku or SaiSaku supporter. I don't really blame them, but still… I'm just, disappointed at the fact that these people I knew who I _really_ admired for their loyalty would just trash it. Basically, because of the mentioned, I made this fic mostly for SasuSaku fans, but in a way, for those who turned their backs on the pair and shifted to NaruSaku (thus the beginning of this story wherein Sakura likes Naruto) and/or SaiSaku (which explains Sai's arrival) _

_I have a feeling I was unconsciously typing these chapters for all the reasons above. I do believe that SasuSakuSai is a good love triangle since Sai's the perfect character who would annoy Sasuke when Sai and Sakura are together. I just feel so envious of the yaoi fans. Why? Well, let's take SasuNaru as a good example; Sasuke left yet the SasuNaru fans still remain extremely loyal to the pair. I just thought that if they can do it, why can't SasuSaku fans do the same? Does this mean that the people I admired before were actually faking it? Maybe that's another reason as to why I'm slower in updating… when I have free time, I just blankly stare at the PC… it's amazing I managed to finish this too… _

_Anyway, thanks for reading to those who read this. On to the chapter. I made sure it's long so that it can make up for the late updates… _

_**Again, this fic is dedicated to the SasuSaku fans out there, as well as the former SasuSaku ones who are now SaiSaku and/or NaruSaku.**_

* * *

**Ironies of Life**

"I am so glad you came earlier than the expected time!" Kasumi beamed, ushering Sasuke in as she ranted about how her daughter was so hard to wake up. The Uchiha teen just blinked and went up the stairs when Kasumi wished him luck in waking Sakura up. He wondered briefly what made the girl a heavy sleeper.

"Oi, gaki…"

She stirred a bit but still continued sleeping. He gave a sigh. "Gaki." He called again, but she didn't flutter her eyelids open, nor did she give out any signs of waking up. He twitched and pulled the blankets, seeing her curl up into a ball instantly as she muttered "cold" before falling silent again as she continued to sleep. He leaned down and smirked, knowing how to wake her up.

Sakura quickly opened her eyes, staring into Sasuke's closed ones. He pulled away a bit and gave a small smile to her. "Morning, gaki…"

After three seconds…

"Pervert!"

Kasumi looked up at the stairway, hearing a few crashes, yelling and cursing as well as stammering. She smiled and made her way to the kitchen. "Yep, they're getting along pretty well…" she said, giggling and imagining little kids with pink hair and onyx orbs, or raven spiked hair with emerald eyes.

* * *

_**Chapter 10: Lost**_

Itachi wondered why his little brother was smirking despite the red mark on his cheek, where Sakura had slapped him, or so he assumed. He raised a brow when Sakura was seething in anger, glaring at Sasuke and muttering a few death plans for the younger Uchiha. "Should I ask what happened?" he said, not taking his eyes off of the road.

"Nah," Sasuke answered from behind, glancing at Sakura with a smirk and a wink. She blushed and threw a pillow at him. Itachi sighed. "Geez, it's a long way to the farm, why don't you two get some sleep?" he suggested.

"And have this guy take advantage of me? No way!"

"What? All I did was kiss you…" Sasuke muttered, looking as innocent as possible but his smirk said otherwise. Itachi only raised his brow further. "O-kay… what's wrong with your boyfriend kissing you to wake you up?"

Sakura slapped her forehead mentally. _"Of course, everyone thinks we really have a relationship…" _she sighed and mumbled something which the two didn't hear. "Anyway, how come your mom's not here?"

"She had something else planned." Sasuke answered, shrugging. "Hey, aniki, are you sure you're fine sitting there beside some of our bags?" Itachi gave a nod. "Yeah, I think you guys prefer to sit beside each other anyway. Aside from that, it'll be easier for you to catch some Zs when you're seated at the back."

"Okay, but wake me up if you get sleepy so that I can switch with you."

"Don't worry; I slept pretty early last night, so go ahead."

They both looked at each other for a while before shrugging and leaning back, both looking at their own respective windows. Itachi merely smiled at them, betting that later on, they'll fall asleep. It was a long drive to his grandparents' farm after all.

Sasuke could feel his eyelids about to close but he snapped them back open when he felt something heavy land on his right shoulder. Looking down, he saw Sakura's head using it as a pillow, a small smile on her lips as she continued to sleep. He blinked before giving a smile of his own, staring at his supposed girlfriend as he brushed some of her bangs away from her face, giving out a soft chuckle when she snuggled closer to him for some warmth.

He moved a bit, making sure she wouldn't wake up until he had her lying on his lap. He removed his navy blue jacket and placed it over her body as she gave a content smile. Itachi managed to witness the moment, and he couldn't help but smile to see his brother's expression. It was a pretty rare thing to see Uchiha Sasuke smiling sincerely. "You really love her, huh, Sasuke?"

The said teen looked at his brother then back at Sakura. "Aa…"

"By the way, Kiba said to not forget to put that "thing" inside the bag."

"Oh, that…" he murmured, glancing at the back of the car where the rest of their things were located. "I already placed it inside."

"Okay." He checked the road. "We're almost there; I think it's best to wake sleeping beauty over there after five more minutes." He grinned when Sasuke turned beat red, getting what his brother meant when Itachi referred Sakura as "sleeping beauty". "Very funny aniki…" he muttered, turning his head towards the window next to him, staring at the scenery they passed by. "Hn, at least I can ride a horse." Sasuke said suddenly, smirking when he noted Itachi's grip on the steering wheel to tighten and when his shoulders stiffened. "It's not my fault that horse hates me!"

"That's so childish of you…" Sasuke said dryly, shaking his head at how his brother commented that the horse hated him. "Pfft… shut it."

"Hn."

* * *

She yawned and stretched her arms after stepping out of the car, taking a deep breathe in of fresh air. Sakura smiled and gazed at her surroundings, seeing a herd of cows grazing on the green grass behind the wooden fences. She could hear the chickens clucking and a rooster crowing, followed by a bark of a dog when it didn't recognize her. She instinctively took a step back, tugging on Sasuke's shirt's sleeve as the teen raised a brow at her.

"Does that dog bite or attack??"

He turned to the black and white sheep dog, then back at Sakura. "Only when commanded..." He answered reassuringly. "Don't worry, her bark's worse than her bite." He said, slinging his backpack's strap on one of his shoulders as he carried her messenger bag. Sakura attempted to take it but he stopped her and leaned close to her ear. "My mom told my grandparents you're my girlfriend, so we still need to act as a couple, and my grandma would scold me if I don't carry your things for you."

"Oh…" she said, blinking and lowering her head, giving a pout. "That means more lovey-dovey with you, yippee…" she said in a sarcastic tone. Sasuke laughed at her joke and she followed it up with a grin. "Glad you liked that joke!"

"Nah, I was just playing along…"

"Ha ha…" she rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms, staring at the dog that barked at her again. She smiled and bent down, calling her over, as what she heard Sasuke refer it to, as well as make a few coaxing sounds. The dog tilted its head a bit before slowly making its way to Sakura's open arms. "Hn, Keira, meet blowfish." Sasuke murmured, earning a glare from Sakura. "Don't call me that black neko…"

"I'll stop if you stop calling me names…" he said, but she shook her head. "Nah, it's fun to call you names." She said. "Hn, same to you." He replied, smirking before leading the way to where they will be staying for a week or so.

* * *

"Is this the Sakura that your mother has been talking and gushing about?!"

They sweat dropped. They just opened the door and before they could enter; Sasuke's grandma had already greeted them and immediately commented on Sakura. "Is it me or are all the females in your family the same with my mom..?" she whispered to her supposed boyfriend who sighed and gave a nervous smile. "Apparently…" he cleared his throat and gave a small bow to his grandma. "Yeah, this is Sakura, my girlfriend." He flinched when his grandma gushed and beamed.

"She's really beautiful and charming! Way to pick a girl Sasuke." She pinched his left cheek and he had to suppress the wince so as not to hurt his grandmother's feelings. He merely nodded and when the old woman turned her back to let them enter, he rubbed the sore spot. "First, Sakura's slap, now this…" he muttered. Sakura giggled and tiptoed a bit to give his abused cheek a light kiss. "Better?" she asked.

He blushed and stared at her wide-eyed as she entered the house when his grandma called for them.

"Hey, neko, are you just going to stand there?"

He snapped from his thoughts and entered, carrying their bags, even if Sakura tried to coax him to hand her, her luggage. "I'm pretty sure you two wouldn't mind if you shared a room for the time-being? Grandpa still hasn't fixed the guest room like I told him to…"

Sasuke glanced at his grandmother who glared at his grandfather who only laughed. "Sorry dear, I needed to tend to the animals." She gave a sigh. "Well, now that your grandsons are here, maybe you can find the time to fix the room?"

"What? No! They're here on vacation! Not for work!"

"That's okay grandpa, I can handle work." Sasuke said, entering the room. "Sakura can sleep here and I can probably share with aniki."

"That's very sweet of you dear." The old woman said, attempting to pinch Sasuke's cheek again. Sakura smiled at the two, predicting how many times she'll be kissing his cheek just to soothe it.

_"Eh..? But I'm just acting to be his girlfriend!" _she reminded herself. _"But then… others don't know about it, so I guess I ought to think we really are a couple…"_

"Anyway, I'll go see what's been going on around lately." Sasuke said, placing down his and Sakura's bag in a room. "Come on, I'll show you around." He told her. She gave a bow to his grandparents before following Sasuke outside.

"Ne, this place is pretty big huh?"

"Yeah, so it's best if you stay close, especially since it's your first time here, you could end up getting lost."

"Hey, I'm not that much of a kid who'll wander aimlessly."

He smirked at her. "I do recall the last time you acted like one…"

"Which was..?"

"…never mind."

She blinked, wondering when she acted like a kid. But heck, this was Sasuke; he always called her a kid. "So, do you know how to ride a horse?" he asked. Sakura shook her head as he led a black horse out of the stable. "This one's named Rai."

"Rai..?"

"Yeah, he's the fastest among all the horses," he petted the horse as it leaned its head closer to Sasuke, wanting to be petted some more. "He's a bit distant to others, but not to me and grandpa, since we're the ones who mostly take care of him."

"So, is he the first horse you rode?"

"Nope, he's the third one. My grandpa gave him to me when he was still a colt, that was two years ago." He answered, coaxing Rai to get closer to Sakura, but the horse kept pulling back. She sweat dropped. "I don't think Rai likes me very much…"

"Relax, I know how to get him to come closer to you." He whistled as a white mare came running to him from the fields. "This one's Mizu."

"Water..?"

"Yep, we found her last year by the lake, and she was injured. My grandpa's an expert on horses, so he estimated her to either be the same age as Rai or younger." Sakura noted how Rai tried to catch Mizu's attention by whinnying. "So I assume Rai's got a crush on her?" she grinned when Sasuke laughed and nodded. "By riding Mizu, I'm pretty sure Rai will befriend you to get closer to her."

"User…" she muttered at the black stallion that seemed to have rolled its eyes. But that was probably just her imagination. Sasuke petted Mizu, earning a snort form Rai. The Uchiha led the mare to Sakura who blinked when he handed her the ropes. "Get on." He said, patting Mizu's back as the mare positioned itself for Sakura. "Don't worry, she's pretty tame, and she can sense whether you're scared or not."

"But…" she trailed off when Sasuke hoisted her up and called Rai over. He got on the stallion and helped Sakura ride properly. "Relax, I'll teach you." She gulped and tried to look for an excuse. "Eh? Look at the time, it's getting late!" she said with a nervous laugh. Sasuke smirked. "It's alright, I know our way back even if night falls. And this place is pretty close to a sea, so don't worry."

Well, Sakura did love to hang around near the sea, but she was still scared.

"Come on." He kicked Rai's sides gently as the stallion started walking. Mizu waited for Sakura to do the same before following Rai.

"So, do you own Mizu too?"

"Sort of, I don't really ride her most of the time since Rai gets mad when I do." He patted the male horse. "He thinks I'm trying to take Mizu away from him." Sakura giggled and attempted to pat Rai. When she managed to brush her fingers on the stallion's mane, the male horse didn't even bother to pull away. "Told you all you needed was Mizu to get him to behave."

Sakura laughed and agreed.

"Anyway, let's gallop around." He said, instructing Sakura what to do as the two horses galloped. He did hear Sakura give out a small cry when the speed increased and he couldn't help but laugh a bit and slow down, since Rai was pretty fast despite galloping. "I won't let you fall okay? So don't worry."

They rode around the area until they reached the sea that he was talking about. He made Rai gallop a bit faster when they reached the sand. "Come on blowfish," he called, tugging on the ropes a bit so that Rai could slow down and face where Mizu and Sakura were. The pink-haired teen gulped and made Mizu gallop faster, but she wasn't used to it so much that she nearly fell off of the mare. "Don't make the same mistake Itachi did." He suggested, gesturing to her legs that kicked Mizu's sides. "Sorry…" she said to the mare, patting it as it shook its head a bit to get rid of some dirt on its mane.

* * *

"I'm glad to hear that you're having fun Sakura."

The said girl gave a smile and a nod to Sasuke's grandma as they all ate their dinner. "Why don't you tour her around tomorrow Sasuke? I'm sure she hasn't been to the forestry part just yet. That is, if she wants to."

"Well, if it's okay with Sasuke…"

He gave a shrug. "I don't see why not…"

"Then it's settled!"

"Just don't do anything drastic now you two." Itachi said, smirking when the two teens blushed. "I mean, I wouldn't want to be the one to explain on why Sakura has another life in her if you two don't control your-"

"Shut up, it's not like we'll do that!" Sasuke said, getting up from his chair and glaring at Itachi who continued laughing. Sakura remained silent, chewing her food slowly as she tried to get rid of those images. The Uchiha brothers' grandparents just blinked, not really getting Itachi's joke.

"I'm going up…" Sasuke said, excusing himself from dinner as he made his way towards the stairs.

* * *

She knew the stars were beautiful, and the view from the farm just made them more attractive than ever. _"I only wish I could view them with someone." _She thought, hugging her knees closer to her chest and lowering her head as she closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift for a moment. _"I wonder what it's like to have a real relationship. It must be great to have someone you love by your side, caring for you and whispering sweet nothings into your ear, just to make you feel so special…" _a smile tugged on her lips at this.

"Now, why would you be out here so late?"

Sakura looked up to see Sasuke's older brother step out of the house and approach her seated figure on the grass. She shrugged and gave a sheepish grin. "I couldn't sleep just yet, and it's still too early, don't you think?" she asked, looking back up at the stars. "Good point; it is only 7.45 in the evening." He murmured, looking up at the night sky as well. "Stargazing..?" he asked and she gave a nod. "I figured the view from here would be good. At home, I never really get to do this."

"Oh…" he said. "You know, Sasuke does this a lot too, only… he has his own place where he can gaze at them. I heard it's the best spot here." She looked at Itachi. "I didn't know he stargazes too." The older Uchiha gave a small shrug of his own. "Sometimes, he jogs pretty early at dawn that stars are still present. And when he does, he usually runs laps by the sea on the sand. When he rests, that's when he watches the stars."

"Oh, figures he'd go to the beach early in the morning."

"You seem to know so much yet so little about Sasuke…"

"What's wrong with that?"

Itachi turned back to the sky. "One thing is, he's your boyfriend, and shouldn't you know a lot of things about him?" Sakura blinked and shook her head. "I don't think you really need to know someone inside-out just to have a relationship. I mean, it could look like you're only after that person because of what he or she is like. I for one, believe that love doesn't really need a reason, it just… happens…" a small smile made its way to her lips as she lowered her head and gave a small nod to her own statement. "Yeah… it just happens…" she echoed. _"Like how my crush for Naruto shifted to Sasuke…"_

"You're right about that," he replied, giving a small smile as well. "So, I take it that's what happened to the two of you?" he smirked when she blushed and gave a nod. "I see." He said. "I think it's time I go back inside before my grandparents worry again." He offered her a hand. "You coming..?"

"Nah, I think I'll stick around a little longer." She said.

"Alright," he took his hand back. "I'll inform Sasuke if ever he looks for you."

* * *

"Aww… man!" Kiba said, plopping down on the ground as he panted while Shino bent over on his knees and tried to catch his breath, all the while smirking at his friend. "You lost again." Kiba muttered a few incoherent words and got up, picking up the ball and dribbling it. "I hate playing one-on-one against you." He said, shooting the ball in the ring. "I'm sure you do." Shino said, taking a sip from the bottled water he packed. "I hope you two won't start fighting again…" they turned to their female companion who was seated on a bench with Kiba's dog, Akamaru.

"Don't worry Hinata, it's not like we're really going to punch the living daylights out of each other." Kiba assured her, grinning as Hinata looked down shyly and petted Akamaru. "Yeah, well, I just wanted to make sure." Shino shook his head a bit and sat down beside her. "Relax, we're not going to fight." Hinata looked at the two boys skeptically. "The last time you said that, you both ended up going to the hospital."

"Well, it won't happen this time." Kiba assured her with a grin. She sighed and gave a smile at her two friends as they started to play again. _"Now I understand why I had a crush on Kiba back then, but now, I only see him as a friend." _She smiled at the dog-boy when he made a score, causing Shino to shake his head and steal the ball. _"Not to mention, Naruto reminds me of Kiba, yet Naruto is so different from him, which probably explains why I like him more than a friend." _She blushed at the thought of Naruto and shook her head. _"Why am I thinking of him at a time like this?! Mou…" _

"Hinata-chan!"

All three turned their heads to where the voice came from to see Naruto waving at Hinata. "Oh, hey Shino, hi Kiba!" he raised his fist to punch Kiba and Shino's knuckles. Their usual greeting when they'd see a co-member of S7. "Shouldn't you be hanging out with Sasuke? Or is he with his little girlfriend?" Kiba asked with a smirk. "Well, Sasuke had to visit his grandparents with Itachi, and his grandparents wanted to meet Sakura, so figure out the rest. Shouldn't you know that by now? I mean, everytime we have a week-long break, he goes over to their farm."

"True, but you usually tag along when you can right?"

"Not this time, dad wants me to help him out with the paperwork." He stuck out his tongue at this. "But I'm done, what's up?" he asked. "We're just playing basketball," Shino answered. "Care to join?" Naruto gave a nod as they played hoops, Hinata focusing her gaze on Naruto as she smiled at his childish behavior. _"When can I tell him how I feel anyway..?"_

* * *

"Wow, the forest sure looks pretty…" Sakura commented, looking around. Sasuke was touring her in the forestry part and she loved the view. "Hn." He answered, walking ahead. Sakura pouted at him. "What's wrong with you, you're not very sociable with me lately…" he shrugged and she twitched and muttered a few incoherent words. "It's getting late," he suddenly said, stopping and looking up at the orange-red sky. "We should head back." And he continued to walk again, not giving Sakura a chance to say anything. "Really, it's getting annoying when you do that…" she said to herself, trudging after him when he was getting further and further away.

When she caught up, she stopped upon seeing a clear view of the crystal clear lake that they passed by earlier. _"Wow, the sunset's even prettier here…" _she thought, letting the breeze blow her hair away from her face as she closed her eyes and relaxed a bit, the serenity of the scene and her surroundings relaxing and soothing her. _"I should've brought my camera, but no, I was too excited to wander around…"_ she felt a bit sleepy after this that she opened her eyes to see that the sun has completely set. _"Oh well, I guess I made Sasuke wait too long…" _she turned her back on the scene and started to walk again. However, she instantly stopped. "Sasuke..?" she called out, seeing no one there or here with her.

"Hey, if you're hiding, stop it, it's not funny!" she yelled, her face red. Still no sign or any sound of someone coming out from the bushes and laughing. It was quiet; too quiet.

She panicked and started to jog around the area in hopes of trying to catch a glimpse of Sasuke or to find him even if she didn't know her way around. "Sasuke-kun!" she yelled repeatedly as she tried to find her way back to the farm. No sign of anyone, it was just her and a few small and harmless bugs. She was at least glad that she wasn't afraid of insects, but she still didn't want the feel of their feet and antennae on her skin. "Sasuke-kun!" she yelled again, jerking her head from left to right.

Sakura cursed when the clouds began to grown thick and a loud rumble of thunder echoed in her ears. _"Just my luck…" _she thought bitterly when rain poured down on her. She raised the hood of her white jacket over her head and zipped it up to hide the black sleeveless shirt she had on. _"I knew I should've worn a pair of pants…" _she thought glumly, glaring at her soaking wet skirt. She sighed and was thankful that she wore her running shoes instead of her sandals. Although her shoes would get muddy, at least her feet remained clean.

"_I can't believe he didn't notice I stopped following him…" _she thought, leaning against a bark of a tree and sliding down on the ground, hugging her knees close to her chest as she silently cried after lowering her head. "…Sasuke no baka…"

* * *

He looked up at the sky, muttering some profanities as he zipped up his blue jacket, hiding the white shirt he had under. "Oi, gaki, hurry-" he cut himself off when he turned his head to see no sign of Sakura. "That baka…" he muttered before turning back to where he came from and broke into a sprint, wondering what possessed him to wear knee-length shorts instead of pants, and why it had to be at the color of white. _"And I just bought these Nikes last week…" _he thought, glaring at his shoes, sighing, and searching for his supposed girlfriend. _"I just hope she stays still in one place when I told her to do so if she gets lost…" _he had a little flashback of their time in the forest earlier.

She was goofing off again and he had to smile at her childishness, but she went a bit too far when she pushed him towards the lake, getting him soaked from head to toe, and it was not pleasant to strip his jacket, shirt and shoes off in front of her, even if she was teasing him when she whistled at him – making it look like he was strip-dancing before her.

"_Gaki…" _he thought, furrowing his brows as the rain poured harder. _"I don't know what possessed me to fall in love with you…" _he sighed and slowed down a bit, panting as he looked around, frantically searching for Sakura and in hopes of getting a clue or a glimpse. _"Damn, I'll need help at this rate. It's not like I can completely see in the dark!" _he ran a hand through his wet locks and closed his eyes, trying to keep calm and figure out what to do. _"I could go back to the farm, but that would lead to grandma scolding me and maybe have a possible heart attack at the idea of Sakura getting lost. Not to mention…" _he opened his eyes and stared straight ahead. _"I can't leave Sakura out here in the rain for that long… there's no telling what could happen."_

Sasuke continued running when he spotted a few fireflies dancing above the lake which his friend found entrancing earlier and also the same spot in which she pushed him. He sighed and walked around a bit in hopes of spotting her. He picked up the sounds of sniffling as well as a few mumbled words that he quickly headed towards where it was coming from. He stopped a few feet away from the hunched figure who had a mop of pink hair. He sighed in relief and approached her.

"Oi, gaki…"

She looked up, her mind playing déjà vu when he stared at her, his hair and face wet from the rain, his clothes soaking from the downpour, and she found herself in his arms again, crying, and he too, had a replay of when he found her after Naruto's rejection. Only this time, she got lost because of him, but now…

"It's okay…" she felt his arms wrap around her waist in a protective manner. "I promise…" he whispered. "…I'll always find you when you get lost…"

He promised her something that he will forever keep, he promised to be her light when she was stuck in the darkness, and that was a vow that he would never break, a vow that she will always believe in.

"Baka…" she whispered. "Baka..!"

Sasuke closed his eyes and rested his head on top of her own, nuzzling her pink locks in a comforting and affectionate gesture that she has never seen him display before. "Come on, let's go." He whispered, holding her hand tightly and giving her a reassuring smile as they headed back to the farm.

* * *

"_That is one experience I'll never forget!" _she told herself as she dried her hair, feeling guilty when she made his grandparents and brother worry about them earlier. _"If I didn't stop and enjoy the view, this wouldn't have happened…" _she sighed and took her backpack to change into her pajamas. She stopped and her eyes widened when she saw a CD which had all of her favorite love songs, including a letter which she read immediately.  
_  
"How the hell did my stalker find out about my favorite songs and that I was going on a trip here?!" _she got dressed and instantly went to the Uchiha brothers' room. She raised her fist to knock and when Itachi opened the door, he stepped aside and let her in, then went outside to give the couple an alone time and because of the fact that he needed to go on a short trip to the bathroom.

_"Probably ate too much broccoli…" _he thought.

* * *

"Okay…" Sasuke said after reading the letter. "This is…" he couldn't find the right words to say. "What am I gonna do?!" she asked, raising her hands up in the air. "Well, he gave you his chat name, so why don't you talk to him about it and… I don't know, clarify things?" Sakura sat down beside him on the bed and sighed. "Should I?" she asked and he gave a nod. "This is getting a little out of hand too, he knows too many things about me already!" she yelled. "He knows more than you do already!"

"Maybe he's asking your mom or friends…"

"But they wouldn't give any information about me unless it's you or someone really close!"

"This leads us to your suspects list..." He said. "If your friends and mother are really only giving info about you towards a close person to you, then that narrows down to… how many?"

"You, Sai…" she began counting as he listened to the people she mentioned. There weren't really that many and to be honest, the only people she can really suspect were him or Sai. "So, in conclusion, I think it's Sai since you're helping me out and all." She said. "Yeah, maybe it's Sai." He smiled a bit at her, shaking his head a few times before lying on the bed. "Then we're done." He said, closing his eyes.

"Looks like it, I'm gonna have to explain to him that we're together and stuff…"

Sasuke opened his eyes and turned to Sakura. "Huh?" she turned to him. "Uh, hello..? Everyone in school believes we're together? And what would your fans think if we suddenly break up or something? Besides, Sai's only a friend, nothing more." She muttered, looking at the closed door and wondering what's taking Itachi so long.

"You've got a point there…" he answered, closing his eyes again. _"And to think that I thought she likes Sai…"_

* * *

"Thanks so much for visiting!" his grandparents said to her, engulfing her in a warm and tight bear hug to which she forced a smile despite how painful his grandmother hugs. "Sure…" she managed to say, pulling away slowly and smiled at Sasuke's grandma. "Do visit us again someday." Sasuke's grandfather said, enveloping the girl in a less painful embrace. "I will." All three bid goodbye to the old couple as Itachi pulled away from the driveway and whistled at the tune the radio was playing. "Did you have fun, Sakura?" he asked afterwards. She gave a smile and a nod and turned to Sasuke. "Your family's really nice." She commented as Itachi went back to his humming.

"Hn." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, feeling sleepy after not getting some sleep last night. _"I really can't get her out of my head…" _he thought, his brows furrowing. He nearly jumped when Sakura grabbed his shoulder and had him lying on her lap. He dared to open his eyes to see her looking down at him with a smile. "I think you have a migraine, so, go and get some sleep neko." She placed a hand on his forehead and brushed his bangs away repeatedly. He closed his eyes, relaxing to her touch as he easily drifted off to sleep.

"That's a nice trick…" Itachi commented, looking at them through the rear view mirror when he stopped because of the red light. "My dad used to do this to me when I was kid and couldn't sleep. I see it's effective to him too." Itachi chuckled. "That's good, because usually, if his head hurts, it takes him a long time to get some sleep."

"Really now..?" she asked, looking down at him. _"Mental note, drop by his home if he has a headache."_

They both heard a cell phone ringing as Sasuke abruptly sat up and took his phone at, mumbling a few cursed words before answering it. _"Just when I was enjoying my sleep…" _

"Teme,"

"What, idiot..?"

"Motocross track, Zaku and his lackeys just challenged our gang."

Sasuke sighed in frustration. "Is my bike there?"

"Yeah, you gave Shino the privilege to take care of it and he already brought it in a while ago after fetching his."

"Alright," he looked outside. "Good thing there's no traffic, I'll be there in around twenty minutes."

"WHAT?! Zaku's taunting your speed already!"

"Are you in loud speaker..?"

"Err… yeah…"

"Usaratonkachi!" he cursed and hung up. "Stop the car!" he told Itachi who stopped and raised a brow at Sasuke who stepped out and opened the driver's door. "What the-" Sasuke cut his brother off when he pulled Itachi. "Get in, I'm driving!" Itachi didn't bother to argue but fastened his seatbelt as he told Sakura to do the same. "This is gonna be a roller coaster ride…" Itachi muttered as Sasuke stepped on the gas and began driving at top speed to the motocross track, all the while drifting when he would turn, causing other people to think that there was a race and if there were competitors around.

"Sasuke, this is not 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'! We're not even in Tokyo!" Itachi yelled, hanging on for dear life as Sakura remained quiet, eyes wide and glued at the road they were driving on. Sasuke just glared at the front and ignored Itachi as he expertly swerved the car, managing to prevent civilians to get hurt and also able to keep the road accident-free despite the "reckless driving" that he did, according to Itachi.

Finally, the car halted as Itachi went out of the car and kissed the earth in an animated way. Sasuke raised a brow. "I do believe that you're the king of motocross racing here..? So that drive shouldn't be such a problem…" Itachi quickly straightened up and cleared his throat. "I drive fast, but not over the speed limit. You drive beyond the limit!" they turned to Sakura who stepped out with a smile on her face "Let's do that again!" she cheered.

Itachi twitched. "Yep, you do deserve each other…" Sasuke just smirked and led them to the VIP seats. "Since you're with my brother, I doubt anyone would dare to hit on you." He told her when she sat down beside Itachi who noted some of his and Sasuke's fans. "I do believe no one would dare to, Naruto just informed everyone you're my boyfriend right?"

"Hn," he smirked. "I better go now." He was about to leave when she pulled him back and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Good luck neko-kun!" she grinned. He smirked and gave a nod before heading to where his friends were.

* * *

"Whoa, I thought you said twenty minutes?" Naruto asked. "Tch, I could've come sooner if old people weren't crossing the street." He muttered, putting on his helmet and safety gears as the whole S7 drove their bikes towards the starting area where their challengers were waiting. "You're slowing down, Uchiha." Zaku commented. Sasuke merely turned his head to Zaku; he could tell the guy was smirking. "Well see about that after this race." He answered back as all bikes started their engines and heated it up when the counting off begun.

They all rode at top speed, trying to overpass the one before them as Sasuke and Zaku were tied. That is, until the Sound student raised his bike and attempted to hit Sasuke on the head to knock him off, this led to Sasuke to slow down, to avoid getting hit by Zaku's wheel. He cursed when Zaku took the lead, imagining that the Sound student was smirking right now. "That dirty little-" he heard Naruto speak through their communicators. "Shikamaru, any plans?" he asked as the genius of the group's calculating eyes began to analyze the situation.

"You can overtake Zaku if you go beyond speed limit, but it's too risky, however, at your level and experience, I think it wouldn't do you too much harm. Neji and Shino are behind you, blocking the rest from overtaking. Kiba and Naruto are directly behind the whole group, watching the two's backs and I'm with Lee on the sides of the group, ready to start the formation at your go signal."

"Hn, wait for me to overtake Zaku before you guys go for the kill and have Neji and Shino follow my lead after overtaking Zaku. Afterwards, you know what to do." Shikamaru smirked. "Got it. Alright guys, you heard AOTA." Sasuke rolled his eyes at the nickname. It wasn't like he was good at what they're all good at. Naruto was still the best at online games and Shikamaru was the genius who came up with their formation and plan.

"Ready when you are captain!" Shino joked. "Hn, shut it or I'll let you guys run 20 laps on Monday." When Zaku made it pass the checkpoint, the final lap started, and Sasuke chose this time to increase his speed since it was a straight course all the way. He'll just have enough time to go back to the normal speed by the time the curve comes up.

Shino and Neji did the same as they managed to reached Zaku's side when Sasuke passed the Sound student, Shino and Neji began to sandwich Zaku and his bike to slow down their enemy as Shikamaru and Lee overtook the group and raised the front of their bikes for intimidation and threat, to which the rest of Zaku's gang bought, having Kiba and Naruto to deal with those who remained unfazed.

"Here we go!" Kiba yelled as he and Naruto leaned closer for the kill, trapping two bikers in between them and having those two men to unwillingly drive close to each other, causing a few sparks when their bikes brushed against each other. They slowed down since they sensed the danger they were in and Naruto and Kiba went ahead. "Mission accomplished!" Naruto announced as Sasuke readied himself for the inclining ramp.

"Oh no you don't!" Zaku said, also going beyond the speed limit and managing to catch up to Sasuke as both their bikes flew in the air. Zaku took this time to swerve his bike again, seeing as Sasuke wouldn't be able to dodge this. The Uchiha teen sensed this and he quickly raised the front of his bike to counter Zaku's assault. "Neji, Shino, go!" Sasuke said when he and Zaku went off-course after their clash. The judges declared Neji as the winner and Shino came in second. Afterwards, they disqualified Zaku from the race for the stunt he pulled.

S7 quickly headed to Sasuke to check if he was okay. "I'm fine, but my bike's gonna need a few repairs and adjustments." He said, flinching when he felt light-headed for a while. The impact his bike and Zaku's had earlier shocked his system and it resulted to his dizziness. He sighed and closed his eyes. He was going to get back at Zaku for this. If he hadn't risked his cycle to clash with the Sound student's, then he would've broken a few bones. That fall surely was deadly, but at least he managed to get off of the bike before it could trap his body.

"What the hell happened there anyway?" Kiba asked, not really able to catch the action. "He raised his bike to force me off of my own." Sasuke answered, eyes still closed as he tried to get rid of the nauseating feeling. "Are you sure you're okay?" Lee asked, showing concern for his friend who opened his eyes a bit and gave a reassuring smile to his friends, followed by a nod. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Sasuke!"

"Yeah, tell that to them." Naruto said, grinning when Sakura and Itachi came running towards their group. The older Uchiha grabbed Sasuke by the shoulder and turned him around, checking if there were any injuries on his little brother. He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "Broken bones..? Muscle strains..?" he asked. Sasuke shook his head, shutting his eyes when that head-spinning feeling came back again. "What's wrong?" Sakura asked, seeing his knitted brows. "Are you having a migraine again?" he opened one eye at her. "Sort of; the whole thing just took me by surprise."

"In that case, you'd better get some rest." Neji said, placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "It's Saturday tomorrow, so get some rest before classes resume on Monday. I doubt your coach would want you to be absent when your upcoming game with Sand is coming." Sasuke shook his head and smirked. If there was anyone who knew Zabuza better, it was him or Lee. But then, Lee didn't really know what Zabuza's anger was like when a team member is absent – despite how good he was.

"Right, I think I'd better."

* * *

Damn, his head sure hurt like hell. It was really the first time he experienced that, but he knew it wasn't from the shock. He just didn't want to have his friends worry over him if he told them what really happened. He placed a hand on his head and tried to ease the pain a bit by massaging it. _"If only I didn't hit my head hard against that wooden barrier…"_ he thought, half-relieved that the borders the motocross track had were made out of wood, which made it less fatal and less painful compared to cement.

"You should really stop messing with people from Sound."

Sasuke turned to his left where Sakura just emerged from his apartment's kitchen. She placed down a tea kettle and two empty tea cups. "I told my mom about your condition, and she's really worried sick, considering that she thinks you're her future son-in-law." He smirked at the idea as she giggled.

"Anyway," she sat closer to him to get a closer look at his head. "If you weren't wearing your helmet, you could've gone on a coma or something…" she whispered, her brows furrowed with concern. When she asked him what was wrong when they got to his apartment, he couldn't really lie to her, since she kept glaring at him and threatening to hit him on the head to make the pain worse. Not that she'd really do that but you can never be too careful.

"I think a little massage and some herbal tea would do you good." She said, pouring the hot liquid into a cup and blowing off the steam that came from the top of it before handing it to him. He thanked her before carefully sipping the tea, flinching when his tongue got stung from the hot tea. She laughed lightly before pulling him down so that his head could rest on her lap. "Close your eyes and relax." She told him as he shut his eyes when he felt her fingers massage his head. She looked down at his calm expression and smiled. "How does it feel?" he half-opened his eyes. "Good."

* * *

She didn't really want to bother him when she woke up the next morning to see him still asleep. Carefully, she got up and placed a blanket over his figure on the couch. They both fell asleep on it last night. Perhaps that tea was really relaxing. She shrugged and left a note in case he worries about her sudden disappearance.

After getting dressed into the clothing she brought with her after their short trip to her home yesterday, she went out and headed for the market after receiving a text message from her mother with a list of things she needed.

"Good thing I have money left over." She said to herself, entering the grocery store and picking out the things her mom needed. She paid for it and left, bumping into someone she didn't expect to see. "Oh, hey Naruto." She greeted. "Hi Sakura! Sorry about that. How's teme?" she giggled at the nickname. "He's fine. He just needed some well-deserved sleep, that's all."

He offered to help her with the bags as they walked to her home. "So, you two holding up okay?" he asked as she gave a questioning look. He grinned. "With his fan girls and that banshee, I was wondering how you guys can tolerate so much!"

"Probably the same as how you and Hinata can tolerate your fans."

"Hey, cut it out!" he said, blushing at the mention of his crush's name. Sakura laughed at this. "You know what? You're not so bad after all." He said with a smile which caused her to blink. "I know I was pretty hostile to you back then, but I just thought that you were another girl who only wanted to get close to teme because he's part of S7, that or because of the fact that I was angry after what happened when we were in sixth grade."

"Why?"

"Some girl had a crush on me and found out teme's my best friend. Since that bastard is so easy to talk to when we were still in elementary, she befriended him for the sake of getting to me, and I was pretty mad after finding out. Ever since then, I didn't really want any girl to be close to Sasuke when they have a crush on me." She smiled at his reason and story. "You're a really good friend Naruto; I guess I can't blame you for that."

"Heh, well, since everyone knows that you had a crush on me back then, I was scared that you were only befriending Sasuke because of me, and I'll admit, I was jealous that he spent more time with you than with us. But I'm really sorry for going as far as hurting you and making you cry." He sighed. "I'm just glad Sasuke isn't the type who'd hold grudges against someone."

"Are you kidding? He wouldn't dare hold a grudge against you! You're his best friend!"

Naruto smiled at her. _"I'm starting to get why teme fell for her."_ They were nearing her house by then. "Hey, I hope it's not too much, but do you mind if we hang out later? I'd like to get to know my best friend's future wife better." He joked, earning a blush from Sakura. "Um… sure… I guess…" Naruto gave a nod and handed her the groceries.

"I've got things to do in the afternoon, so I'll meet you tonight at around 6.30pm? Dinner's on me, plus, I'd want to know a few things about Hinata, if you get what I mean."

She laughed and nodded. "Sure, but before that, I'll need to know where you're taking me so that I could dress properly. Last time a guy asked me out when I was in seventh grade, I was embarrassed to be in a dress when we went to the amusement park."

"Oh," he chuckled. "Just dress a smart casual, it'll be fine. Besides, you're with an S7 member; no one would dare question you about your clothing! I'll meet you at the park then!" he bid her goodbye as she waved and entered her home, announcing to her mother that she had arrived.

"You seem happier…" Kasumi noted. "Well, my ex-crush, who happens to be Sasuke's best friend, finally accepted me, what do you think should I feel?"

"That Naruto..?" Kasumi asked for confirmation and her daughter nodded. "He seems to be the type who trusts people easily, why would he not accept you?" she asked. Sakura smiled. "Let's just say, he's looking out for his best friend like an overprotective brother would." She helped her mom fix the groceries. "Anyway, he's taking me out to dinner later so that he can make up for being indifferent towards me before and also to snag a few tips and stuff to get Hinata."

"Oh, so Naruto has a crush on Hinata?"

"Yep, pretty obvious too."

"From what I recall when you and Ino last talked in your room, you mentioned something about Hinata also liking Naruto, so why don't they just get together?" Sakura grinned. "They're both oblivious to each other's feelings." Kasumi smiled and giggled upon recalling her high school days.

"Well, I'm just glad you managed to move on. I was really worried when you came home so sad after finding out that Hinata also had a crush on the same guy you like." Kasumi sighed before beaming again. "At least now, you're with Sasu-chan!" Kasumi started daydreaming again. "Mom, he'd just die if he heard you call him that…" Sakura joked. "And if I didn't know you better, I'd think you have a crush on my boyfriend."

"Nonsense dear, he's just different from the rest of your suitors before."

"Yeah, you actually approve of him. Now I'm wondering how dad would react."

Kasumi shook her index finger in front of Sakura from right to left. "Your dad's a sucker for sports, and if Sasuke is as good as you say he is, then that wouldn't be a problem." She gave a wink to her daughter. "Especially since your dad is a basketball fan."

"Oh, right."

* * *

His brows narrowed for a moment before he slowly opened his eyes, blinking as he saw the ceiling of his living room. He turned his head to the direction of his cell phone that was ringing, probably the noise that caused him to wake up from his slumber. Sasuke sat up and grabbed his phone. He slid it open and answered the caller. "Hello..?" he asked sleepily.

The person on the other line remained silent for a while, probably wondering why his friend was sleepy, before answering. "Hey teme, wake up already! It's pass 2pm!" Sasuke glanced at the wall clock, noticing that it was already almost three in the afternoon. "Sorry, that tea probably knocked me out…" he said.

"Tea..?"

"Sakura slept over, you know, to take care of my aching head…" he stood up as the blanket that kept him warm fell off of his body and onto the ground. Blinking, he picked it up, wondering what the sheet was doing here and not in his bedroom. He half-listened to Naruto's rants after seeing a note on the table. He smiled a bit, recognizing Sakura's handwriting.

_Neko, (insert drawing of a cat)_

_Sorry I left early, mom asked me to do the groceries for her. I didn't want to wake you up so I just left this note. Judging from how you didn't stir when I left, you must be really tired. Anyway, I heated the tea for you if ever you still feel a migraine. Hopefully, you'll be awake while it's still warm. Take care okay?_

"_Blowfish" or "Gaki" – whichever you prefer…_

He shook his head when he saw the drawing of a blowfish and a brat. _"Hn, take care too." _He thought, checking if the tea was still warm. He sweat dropped when it was already cold. _"How long was I out?" _he asked himself. "Teme? Teme!" he flinched when Naruto yelled at his ear. "What?!" he yelled back. "Were you listening to me or were you daydreaming?" Naruto asked accusingly. "I was listening…" Sasuke muttered.

"Okay, what was I saying?" Naruto challenged. Sasuke rolled his eyes at this. "You said, you finally apologized to Sakura and asked her out to dinner to get to know my 'future wife' better and to snag a few tips and information about Hinata." He sighed when Naruto remained silent for a while. "So, you're okay with it?" Sasuke sighed again. "Why would I mind? It's not like we're dating or anything." Sasuke quickly slapped himself.

Crap, of course! Everyone thought that he and Sakura were in a relationship. "Teme…" here it comes. He braced himself for what Naruto was about to say. "You mean, you two are together yet haven't been on a date?" Sasuke resisted the urge to bang his head on the wall nearby as he calmed down.

"Dobe, what I meant was…" he trailed off, trying to figure out what to say. "Was..?" Naruto echoed. "…We're not dating... right… now." He finished. "I mean, 'dating' is a present tense, and currently, we're not out on a date, so, yeah." Naruto blinked. "Oh…" he said. "Oh! I get it." Naruto grinned. Sasuke was thankful his best friend can be dense at times.

If he was talking to Neji or Shino, he'd be caught. Lee would be to preoccupied talking about youth, Shikamaru would think it's too troublesome to even talk about it, and Kiba would be like Naruto, only he'd have to use deeper words to fool the dog-boy. Whew, Uchiha Sasuke almost got a penalty for slipping! "Are you sure you really don't mind if I take her out?" Sasuke sighed. "Naruto, you're my best friend, I trust you, okay? Besides, you're interested in Hinata, not Sakura."

"Okay… I'm just worried about what others would think if they saw us. You know how those screeching fans of ours jump to conclusions. Not to mention, the banshee…" Well, Naruto was right about that. "Are you forgetting you're the leader of S7? No one would dare gossip about you." Sasuke reminded.

"Yeah, unless they talk behind my back!"

"Naruto, we can always explain that if ever. It's not like you're backstabbing me, and it's not like Sakura's cheating on me. Besides, it's just a friendly date. And you guys will most probably talk about Hinata the whole night." Naruto gave a nod at this. "Are you sure you're not a genius..?" Sasuke sighed again. "No, just smarter than you."

"Right." Naruto stopped for a while as Sasuke smirked. "Hey! Did you just insult me?!" Sasuke shook his head. "Bye dobe…" and he hung up, ignoring Naruto's protests. _"Dobe." _He pocketed his phone and cleaned the "mess" up. Afterwards, he took a shower and got dressed into some casual clothes, before stepping out to get something to eat. He was hungry and didn't feel like cooking.

He took his phone out when it rang. He checked the caller to see it was an unknown number. Normally, he'd ignore it, but it might be a friend of his who's just using someone else's phone.

"Hello..?"

"Sasuke-san..?"

He blinked. Only one person called him that. "Hinata?" she gave a nod, but remembered that he can't see her, so she answered. "Hai…"

"_Figures, she's the only one who has a voice this soft…" _he thought, also noting the fact that it's only Hinata who calls him with the –san attached to his name. Most of the time at least… "What made you call me?" he asked. _"And how did you get my number?" _he added mentally. "Well…" she hesitated at first. "I just can't stand my feelings for Naruto-kun anymore…" she confessed, her face beet red when she said that. "Oh, so, why don't you tell him?" Sasuke smirked. _"I am so sure that he'd be glad to hear it." _

Hinata didn't reply for a while though. "I… need help…" she said in a meek voice. "I see…" Sasuke stopped by a nearby café and decided to get some vanilla frappe and a sandwich to go with it. "Listen, I'm at Starbucks right now, why don't you come over and we can talk about it." He waited for her answer. "Alright, while I'm waiting, you want anything?" he asked. "That's okay. I'll just order when I get there." He raised a brow, knowing fully well that she didn't want him to spend anything on her.

But that's not the Uchiha way. "If you're worrying about me paying for you, don't. It's fine." Hinata hesitated before telling him that she'll have a Java Chip. Sasuke had to smile a bit at the shyness his "little sister" sounded. "Alright imouto(little sister), is that all?" he asked, ordering his and Hinata's drinks. "Um… yeah…" Sasuke shook his head. "I just know you want a cookie." He muttered, ordering his food as well as the cookie that Hinata loves to eat, as what Neji told them on their last trip here – just the three of them though, and that was when Hinata was feeling down because of her father.

Ever since then, he helped out the two whenever he could, and he recognized Hinata as a younger sister afterwards, especially when the girl would ask him help with regards to a certain blonde. When he hung up after bidding Hinata goodbye, so as not to be rude, he found a seat and called Naruto – just in case the blonde would pass by, see them and jump to conclusions. "Dobe, guess what? You asked Sakura for tips on Hinata, and my imouto just asked my help with regards to a certain someone."

"WHO?! WHO!"

Sasuke had to suppress his laugh. "Secret buddy, you'll just have to wait and see." He hung up and turned his cell phone off, fully aware of the fact that Naruto would be calling him back to know who Hinata wanted help with.

* * *

"That teme!" he yelled, glaring at his phone when his best friend's cell wouldn't ring. He sighed and plopped down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. _"I'll have to act fast if I ever want Hinata as my girlfriend." _He sighed and closed his eyes, thinking about the girl. _"I thought I only had a crush on her, but eventually, I really fell for her…"_

"Naruto, you'd better be doing your paperwork there." The said blonde sighed and sat up, glaring at the door. "Alright dad! Sheesh!" he stood up and sat at his desk, grumbling a few things as he read the words on the paper. He only did this because he promised his dad he'd help, and also because it was a deal that would make sure he wouldn't be engaged to someone.

It's really frustrating when you're a son of a rich man. You always worry about running the company soon, and the possibility of having a fiancée. _"I'm glad teme got out of that one…" _he thought, frowning when Sasuke suddenly went to his house two years ago during a storm. Not to mention, entered his room dripping wet.

He recalled how Sasuke was silent the whole time, and the look in the Uchiha's eyes scared him. It was rare to see him like that, and he didn't want to see that side of Sasuke again. He didn't know, but he swore he saw a tint of red in those eyes on that night he came.

_"The first time I heard him give someone, other than me and the guys, a nickname. Plus the fact he used it on a girl." _He laughed. _"Banshee." _He thought. Well, Kurumi was similar to banshee. Sure she had good looks, but once she opens that mouth of hers, major turn off!

Naruto couldn't really forget that night - the first time he remained quiet, not knowing what to say since his best friend wouldn't budge or talk. He just sat there, glaring at the wall, and the blonde swore he jumped when Sasuke suddenly opened his mouth to speak, one word coming from it:

_Banshee._

The Uzumaki heir smiled a bit, he recalled how he stared, blinked, then laughed and asked what Sasuke meant. That was when he found out that his best friend was engaged. Not officially though, thank God for that. But he nearly fainted when Sasuke said the next day would be the signing of the contract. When he asked the young Uchiha what the girl was like, Sasuke repeated the word:

_Banshee._

"_Che, it was the first time I also gave him advice that actually worked." _He thought, letting his head rest on his right palm as he stared at the papers in a bored way. _"I never thought he'd really march to his parents meeting and rip that contract in front of the banshee and her parents." _

He sighed._ "Heck, I'm just glad his parents didn't get mad. But it makes me wonder…" _he stared at the open window of his room. _"Why did his parents even bother to get him engaged when they didn't like the girl? Were they forced..?" _he hoped his father wouldn't do something like that though.

Yet he was thankful that the Hyuuga family was rich, therefore, there's a slight chance that if he will be engaged, Hinata may be one of the candidates. _"But I'm not risking it."_ He told himself, finishing the paperwork as fast as he could since he saw the time on his digital clock on the table; only two and a half more hours before he'd meet up with Sakura.

* * *

"You know," he said, running a hand through his hair. "If you keep getting second thoughts and start growing scared of what Naruto may think, how else would you get that feeling of relief? Not to mention, Neji told me you can't sleep well anymore because of…" he trailed off, turning red as he looked away. He cleared his throat when Hinata was also blushing.

"You're having _wet _dreams..?" he asked in disbelief, albeit his voice a little softer and lower so as no one could hear. Hinata gulped and shook her head repeatedly. He raised a brow and smirked. She sighed and gave a nod.

It was a pretty rare thing for that to occur in the Hyuuga family. "But it's embarrassing…" she countered when he tried to assure her. "What would father say..?" she asked in a timid voice. Sasuke leaned back and crossed his arms.

"Well, if he's really a closet pervert, as what your cousin said." He clarified, when Hinata looked at him in bewilderment. "I'd think he'd be damn proud - inwardly, yet outside, he'd tell you in a stern voice etc. etc." he said, not bothering to go into details.

Sasuke vaguely recalled Hiashi scolding them, S7, for staying awake until 3.30AM last summer when they decided to have a three day stay at Neji's. At this, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _"Wait a minute, then that means, our next get-together or party, which is on Christmas break, would be at my place…" _he cursed inwardly, making a mental note to ask his mom if he could have the Uchiha manor for one night. _"Or maybe I'll make that two…" _he shrugged.

Hinata twiddled with her fingers. "Promise you won't tell anyone..?"

"Of course I won't tell anyone. That's… classified…" he muttered. _"Why else would Hyuuga tell it to me only?"_ he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. A habit he's been used to since he was a child. _"Actually, if it's such a secret, why would that Hyuu-gay tell me?" _he sighed. _"Probably because he can't stand not saying anything and because he can't keep it to himself for so long… or-"_

"Neji-niisan trusts you."

The Uchiha teen blinked and turned to Hinata. "Did you just read my mind?" he asked. Hinata tilted her head. "I figured you were wondering since… your eyes tell it…"

"Hn," he closed his eyes. Another habit when he didn't know what else to say. _"The eyes are the window to a man's soul…" _he recalled Neji saying those words over and over back then. "And because he knew that you wouldn't tell anyone. Because you're also like an overprotective brother, just not that… over…" Hinata said. "Oh, right…" Sasuke murmured. "I do believe it's him who's the overprotective one."

Hinata giggled. "Yeah, and you're the more understanding and less strict aniki." She smiled. He smirked in reply and glanced at the sky outside. It was dark already. "Hey, imouto, what time is it?" he asked. Hinata looked at his wrists, seeing as his right still had that black wristband that he always wore and the black and blue baller bands on his left. She blinked. _"Right, Neji-niisan said he doesn't wear a wrist watch unless in a formal party." _

She checked her own watch, reading the time. "6.18." she answered. "Wow, never noticed the time." He turned back to her. "Did you walk here?" he asked. She nodded. "Come on, I'll take you home before I go back." She nodded and stood up, not bothering to argue with him since he'd just insist anyway. "Anou, you can just drop me off at the restaurant nearby, my father's going to pick me up there anyway."

"Why there?"

"He wants to have dinner with me, Hanabi and Neji-niisan. He said he hasn't been able to talk to us for a long time."

Sasuke nodded in understanding and walked her there. "You sure you're going to be fine waiting for them alone?" he asked, noticing that she was the only Hyuuga he knew in the restaurant. "Don't worry _nii-san_! I'll be fine." She smiled and he gave a small one in return.

"Alright, and Hinata?" she looked up as he placed a hand on her head and ruffled it affectionately as he grinned. "Be brave." And he left her. She knew what he meant, and she smiled and managed to cry out a 'thanks' to him, which he heard clearly that he turned his head to her a bit and smiled in response before fully crossing the street.

Hinata smiled. _"Yeah, I have to be brave; otherwise, I won't be able to tell Naruto-kun my true feelings."_

* * *

Naruto cursed when he checked the time. He didn't notice it was already ten minutes pass 6.30, and he didn't want to keep a girl waiting. He hastily got dressed and ran out of his room, bidding goodbye to his mom he just ran pass the stairs. The woman blinked and stared at her son who ran out of the door before walking back up to the master bedroom.

"Damn it! Teme's gonna kill me if he finds out I made his girl wait for ten minutes!" he checked his watch. "Crud, make that fifteen minutes." He sprinted as fast as he could to the park, stopping when he heard someone crying. "Huh..?" he turned to the young girl who continued to sob as he slowly approached the kid.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Like all the other S7 members, he had a soft spot for kids. Although he still couldn't handle a lot, unlike his best friend. He wondered briefly how Sasuke, a guy who doesn't have a lot of patience, be able to stand a team of kids who don't even know how to play basketball, and who can't even get the basics of dribbling and passing.

"I'm lost…" she sniffled, snapping him back to reality. _"Sakura will have to wait for a few more minutes…" _he thought, thinking up of a way to make it up to his best friend's girlfriend. "Um, let's walk around to see if we can find your parents." the little girl nodded as Naruto held her hand and led her around the street.

"Do you remember where you last saw them?" he asked. The girl gave a nod. "I remember going into that mini store, and then daddy said something about eating at the restaurant across it." Naruto gave a nod. "Then how did you get separated from them?" the girl looked down, looking as if she did something bad. Naruto waited patiently. She was a child after all.

"I got mad at daddy for not buying me the candy he promised he'd get me…"

He sweat dropped, kids are either too cute like that or just plain shallow. "Um… maybe your dad was planning a surprise for you. Maybe that's why he didn't buy you the candy." she looked up at him. "Yeah, I remember my dad once did the same, only it wasn't about candy but more like getting me the pet I wanted." He grinned as the girl listened. "I got mad at him that I ran away, that's when I met my best friend, and his older brother told me that my dad was probably worried for running off like that, so they both took me home and guess what?" he grinned when the girl waited for him to continue. "My dad had the pet I wanted and along with it was my favorite food."

"Really..?"

"Yeah, so maybe your dad was planning something else; just to show you how much he cares for his daughter."

The little girl beamed and tugged at his hand. "Let's go nii-san! I want to tell daddy how much I love him!" he chuckled and picked her up when they were about to cross the street.

He entered the restaurant as the little girl in his arms looked around. "Daddy! Mommy!" she yelled as Naruto turned to where a mother was crying and a father was explaining to two cops about something. The four adults turned to their direction as the mom and dad rushed to them, recognizing their daughter.

"Hime-chan! Don't you ever run away like that again!" her mother said as the girl's father thanked Naruto over and over. "Hime-chan," the girl looked up to see her father kneel down and hide something behind his back. "Close your eyes." The girl did. "Now open them." And what greeted her sight was a stuffed bear holding her favorite lollipop. She squealed in delight and thanked her father as the family of three turned to Naruto who grinned sheepishly.

"It's no problem, really." He assured them as he was about to exit when the three went to the table. "Naruto-kun..?" he stopped and turned around to see Neji with Hiashi, Hanabi and "Hinata-chan..?" he asked, eyes wide and face red.

Hiashi stood up and approached Naruto. "That was a very responsible and mature thing to do Naruto." He smiled slightly and asked him to join them for dinner. Naruto, still dazed from seeing Hinata, absent-mindedly nodded as Hiashi led him to their table, not noticing that it began to drizzle outside.

* * *

She twitched and pulled the hood of her jacket over her head, glaring at the sky. _"Darn it, why must you cry now?!" _she asked the dark clouds.

_"More importantly," _she checked her wrist watch. _"Naruto's 35 minutes late…" _she sighed and thanked the heavens it was only a light drizzle.

Although it was pretty dark, and she wondered why the lights in the park didn't turn on except for a few ones but it was still dark. _"At least Naruto will be able to spot me if he gets here." _She cursed herself for not asking for Naruto's cell number earlier. _"But I do know Sasuke's…" _she took out her phone and called him, waiting for the guy to pick up but there was no ring. _"Why did he turn his phone off?!" _she sighed irritably and called his house.

The phone rang four times and when she was about to hang up on the sixth ring, he finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Neko…" she whined.

"…What did I do this time?!" he asked.

"Why did you turn your phone off?!"

Sasuke slapped himself and took his cell phone, turning the power on. "Sorry, dobe was annoying." At the mention of his best friend, his eyes narrowed. "Shouldn't you be with him by now?" Sakura sighed. "He's late; can you give me his number?"

"I'll call him for you if you want."

"That'd be great Sa- mmph!"

"Sakura..?"

"Get off of me you perv!" he narrowed his eyes and dropped the phone as he rushed outside his apartment, not bothering to grab his jacket and just left with a black shirt and his jeans on, his cat looking up from its food bowl before eating its catnips again.

* * *

"Let go!" She yelled, kicking the guy who grabbed her as he yelped when she kicked him on his dick. She attempted to run but ended up bumping into another guy. Struggling, she had to remove her windbreaker to escape. _"Damn it! For once, I'm thankful mom picked my clothing!" _she yelled in her head, glad that she was wearing jeans and rubber shoes for easy running. She could hear the two men that assaulted her running after her, and she wondered if they wanted her money, or her.

"_Crap! I dropped my cell phone!" _she cursed herself and stopped then turned to face the two._ "Shannaro! You're going to pay! Sasuke-kun paid a lot for that!" _she kicked one of the two and punched the other. "You should've known better than to mess with me!" she yelled, beating up the other guy to a bloody pulp.

"Get off bitch!" he yelled as the other guy pulled her off, one arm around her shoulder as the other went to her waist, pinning her against him to keep her still. She narrowed her eyes when the man snickered; his breath blowing against her neck.

"You sure picked the right time to wear a white shirt…" he whispered, looking down at her chest as she turned beet red and struggled to escape his grip. "You pervert!" she stomped on the guy's foot, hard, then quickly pulled away from him.

When she thought she could escape, someone caught her foot and she dropped to the ground, groaning in pain when her body ached, her lip bleeding when she accidentally bit her lip. "Itai…" she murmured, shakily pushing herself up. She felt one of the men's hand grasp her shoulder and flip her so that she was lying on her back, and the guy gave her a punch, causing her to spit blood as she glared at her attackers.

"Feisty aren't you?"

She attempted to get up when he suddenly pinned her arms at the sides of her head. She glared at the man when he straddled her hips, keeping her still on the ground since she couldn't move too much any longer. "At first, we just wanted your valuables, but then, you just had to give us a hard time, so we need to make sure you pay." They heard a thud and they turned to see the man's companion on the ground, unconscious. "What the hell?!" he said as he stiffened when someone spoke.

"You're next if you don't get off of her."

He looked up, his sweat mixing with the rain when he stared into familiar and cold eyes. "U-Uchiha…" he frantically looked around, hoping he wouldn't meet S7 again. "I'm alone, but I don't think you should relax just yet." He heard the teen crack his knuckles and he quickly got off of Sakura, backing away as Sasuke took a few steps closer. "We should've finished you off when we had the chance, Meizu…"

Meizu stepped back again as Sasuke came closer. "You came from Kiri High, yet you sure act like you came from Sound." He turned to the fallen figure of Meizu's companion. "And you guys call yourself the demon brothers, when I don't see anything demonic about you two." He turned to glare at Meizu who attempted to run, but Sasuke pulled him by the back of his collar and knocked him out after hitting the back of his head, hard. The rain continued pouring as he glared at the two fallen figures before rushing to Sakura, kneeling down on one knee as he placed one hand on her shoulder, the other, on her cheek. "Hey, talk to me, are you okay?" she looked up at him and then lowered her head. "What took you so long anyway?" she asked.

Sasuke smiled a bit but it disappeared when her eyes were downcast. "Sakura..?" she pressed herself against him, eyes closed and head leaning on his chest. "Ne, can I… stay with you tonight..?" he didn't answer but instead, carried her in his arms as she huddled closer to him, not really knowing whether she should cry out of anger and frustration for being saved by her so-called knight in… err… shining armor, or if she should just smile that he saved her again. Or maybe, she just felt tired, tired of waiting.

"_I thought I gave up on Naruto, but I feel so disappointed that he didn't show up…" _she sighed inwardly. _"I'm tired. Tired of not seeing Sasuke who's just in front of me… tired of having to look pass him where Naruto is."_ She unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck tighter, her breath fanning his neck as he looked down. "Arigatou," she whispered, smiling a bit. "Neko-kun…" he responded with his usual one-word, one-syllable reply. _"…for always being there, for being understanding, and for being patient with me."_

* * *

"Sakura..?" she didn't open her eyes but just continued sleeping. He smiled and leaned down, his lips hovering above her ear. "Hey, gaki, wait up." Her brows knitted. "…baka." She whispered back. He smiled. "Come on, you'll catch a cold." She sighed and sat up, glancing at the leather couch. "Why did you let me lie down?! Your couch is soaked!"

"In case you haven't noticed," he poked the sofa. "It's leather." And he handed her a towel and some dry clothes. Afterwards, he patted the couch dry with another towel. "You can change in the bathroom over there." He pointed at the door just a few feet away as she went there to get changed. Sasuke gave a sigh and looked at Ame who quickly hopped onto the couch and curled up into a ball, getting ready to sleep. "Oi, Ame, down." He hissed but the cat ignored him. He sighed and shook his head. Looks like he's gonna share the couch with his cat tonight.

He felt water drip on his nose and he rolled his eyes upwards, noting that his hair was dripping wet. He sighed again and removed his shirt, not sensing Sakura step out of the bathroom door and approach him, only to stop when he saw what he was doing. _"Holy shit! Nice abs!" _her inner yelled, drooling at the sight. She quickly shook her head. _"It's not like this is the first time I saw him shirtless!" _she reminded herself about the time when they goofed around at the beach, and when they were wet and he had to lend her his shirt. "Um…" she began. His eyes widened as he turned to her abruptly, his cheeks growing red when she stared at him, at his body. "Uh… I…" she quickly turned around. "S-Sorry."

Normally, he didn't really mind, but when she was staring at him, like that, it just made him feel uncomfortable. "S-sure, it's fine…" he used the other towel he got to dry himself off. She turned to his pants. "You're still… wet…" he looked down. "What, you want me to change in front of you?" he asked, smirking suggestively as she turned beet red and stammered. Him still topless didn't help at all. "I'm just kidding." He said, drying his hair. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, seeing that he still had the S7 dog tag around his neck. One end of the black, leather belt around his pants was out, and it looked like he was about to remove it earlier.

She continued to observe him as he dried his hair. His eyes were slightly narrowed, probably thinking of something and they were eyeing the wall across him. "It's rude to stare gaki." She blushed and looked away. "What made you say I was staring at you?"

"Your reaction proves it," he smirked. "Gaki..." she glared at him. "Put a shirt on will you?!" his smirk only widened as his eyes turned into a dangerous glint. Later, she found her back against the wall, his hands pressed against the wall behind her at the sides of her head, preventing her from escaping, especially since he took a step closer. "Why? Nervous..?" he asked, leaning closer as she looked down, glaring at the floor. "Stop fooling around." Inwardly, she was panicking. _"Why must you be so damn hot?!" _she glanced at him, the towel hanging around his bare shoulders, and she couldn't help but stare at his finely toned abs and muscles. _"Argh! You should be sent to jail for being so damn hot!" _she screamed in her mind.

"I need my breathing space…" she said as calmly as she could. "As you wish." He pulled away and turned around to continue drying his hair. _"Didn't think he'd give up easily…" _she looked at him, wondering what made him end his game. She had one thing in mind though. _"He probably couldn't control himself either…"_ she smiled at the thought and hugged him from behind, her eyes closing the moment her cheek came in contact with his back. He was a head taller than her after all. "Ne, Sasuke-kun," he turned his head slightly to her. "Thanks for everything…"

"Hn, no problem."

* * *

Naruto took note of the people who was eyeing the person behind him. Curious, he turned, only to see Sasuke walking towards him with a glare. "Yo, teme, what's-" he was answered by a punch in the face as Kiba and the rest of S7 quickly headed towards the scene. Naruto sat up and held onto his bleeding nose. "What the fuck is your problem?!" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto, but made no move of punching him again. "Do you have any idea what could've happened to Sakura if I didn't show up in time?" he asked, his voice too calm for the group's liking. Naruto knew that tone, it's the same one he heard two years ago, when Sasuke was said to be engaged to the banshee.

"Naruto…" he said. "Sakura was attacked by the demon brothers, and she almost got raped because of you."

His blue eyes widened. He forgot. He was supposed to meet with Sakura. He stood up and faced his best friend. "What happened to her now? Where is she?" Sasuke didn't answer but walked pass him, walked pass S7. He stopped halfway when he heard Hinata call him. He vaguely recalled seeing Naruto enter the same restaurant, where he left Hinata, with a little girl. He figured he probably helped that kid first before seeing Sakura, so he understood that. But when Sakura called and said Naruto wasn't there yet, and when Hinata just called him now, he put two and two together.

A smirk made its way on his lips as he closed his eyes. One of his hands was holding onto the strap of his backpack, the other in his pocket as he laughed lightly, before it rose a bit, making him look like he's gone insane. "I get it." He turned to Naruto, his eyes narrowed but his lips smirking. "You saw Hinata, and then you forgot about Sakura." He shook his head at Naruto. "So that was your plan on making it up to her? By ditching her?!" Hinata turned to Naruto who remained speechless then to her second brother. Sasuke no longer had the smirk on his face but was now frowning and glaring at his best friend.

"Stop it will you? Just stop hurting her."

"I didn't mean it!" Naruto countered, their friends just stood there, confused at what they were talking about. "I already told you, I didn't know what came over me!" Some students stopped walking and talking, surprised to see the two best friends at each other's throats. "Hey, what's going on?" Ino asked a student since she couldn't see. Ten-Ten was with her, and so was Sakura. "Hey, isn't that Hinata with S7?" Ten-Ten pointed. Sakura turned to where she pointed at, finally seeing Sasuke. "So that's where Sasuke is." She said, about to run to him when she heard Sasuke yell at Naruto, causing her to freeze.

"You idiot! She almost got killed!"

"I'm sorry okay?! I told you, I didn't mean it! I had no idea what came over me!"

"No duh! You were too preoccupied with trying to impress Hinata's father just so that you can get closer to her!"

"I was not! I just can't refuse him since he asked me to join them!"

"What do you mean you can't refuse him?! You could've fucking said that you're sorry but you have to meet someone!" he yelled back, not really able to hold himself any longer. "What the hell is your damn problem?! We could talk this out without yelling and fighting!" Naruto countered. "Stop changing the damn subject and tell me why you didn't just _politely _refuse?!"

That caught him off-guard. He really forgot about Sakura when he saw Hinata, love was like that right? It makes you forget everything, even your own birthday or something. And he couldn't admit that he couldn't refuse because it _was_ a good chance to get on Hiashi's good side. Especially since the man didn't really think highly of him.

"Sasuke, you should understand how her father is, you know-"

"And would you mind telling me what you'll do if I wasn't able to save Sakura?!"

"_Damn it." _Naruto cursed, Sasuke just had to be good at debating. "Look, you were able to save her, stop thinking about the 'what ifs', I'm sorry okay? Would it calm you down if I tell to beat me up to a-"

"Alright, stop it! Just stop it!" Hinata yelled, causing everyone to turn to her in shock, also snapping Sakura back to reality. Hinata felt like crying, and she was shaking. No, she can't cry, she has to be brave.

_Be brave._

She remembered what Sasuke told her last Saturday night. "Naruto-kun, you should've at least said something, Sakura-chan is my friend, and I wouldn't know what to do if I found out that she…" she didn't dare continue, knowing very well that the blonde teen understood. She turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke-san, please," she pleaded. "I don't want you to fight with Naruto-kun, just… stop fighting…" she looked at him as he relaxed a bit, his hands lowered to his sides. "Please, nii-san…" she whispered. "Just stop thinking negatively; you got to Sakura-chan in time, that's what matters."

Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other before looking away and sighing. "Sorry…" they both said simultaneously. The blonde teenager noticed Sakura standing a few feet behind Sasuke, and he felt guilty when he thought about what could've happened to her. "I'm sorry too…" he told her. She forced a small smile and gave a nod before walking to Sasuke, tugging at his sleeve. "Neko-kun," she whispered in an affectionate tone as he glanced at her. "Hinata-chan is right, what matters is you got to me just in time."

Everyone snapped their heads when Sarutobi came with a few teachers tailing behind. He saw S7 with Hinata and Sakura in the middle that he sighed and gave an amused smile. "What am I going to do with you..?" he asked in an exasperated tone. "Alright everyone!" most of the student body froze when Zabuza's voice was heard. "Back to class! Go on, move it!" All except for Shinobi Seven, the teachers, Sakura and Hinata were left. "Now then, would you mind telling me what happened, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha sighed. Leave it to the principal to direct the question at him. "We just got a little lost in our thoughts…"

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 11: Jealousy_

He couldn't get his mind off of her. He just had to tell her, but he was worried about their friendship. Even if his friends told him to go for it, he just couldn't. He wasn't sure if she felt the same way, even if a lot of evidences clearly stated that they both shared the same feelings like Naruto and Hinata does. But still…

"_Why do I have a gut feeling..?" _he turned around the corner of the Imperial palace, wondering how Konoha High managed to get them to have a trip, plus a five-day stay, in this place. When he looked up after hearing someone yelp, his eyes widened. There was no way he was seeing Sakura in Sai's arms, and even if her back was faced to him, Sai was looking at her, and his eyes were showing concern, and perhaps even amusement.

* * *

_A/N: I didn't leave a cliffie in this chapter but I guess that preview is making you want to hit me. But come on! I made this chapter extra long! 24 pages, minus my rant, is no joke! And as I've mentioned before the chapter began…_


	11. Jealousy

_A/N: As for those who are asking, sorry I can't reply soon 'coz you either left an unregistered account name, or you forgot to put your email. Here's my answer regarding Karin and Sasuke. Yes, Karin likes Sasuke, that's obvious but HELL NO! __**Sasuke DOES NOT like Karin.**_

* * *

**Ironies of Life**

They all remained silent as Sarutobi let what the Uchiha said register in his brain. "You mean to tell me that you fought against two students from another school?" Sasuke sighed and leaned back on the back rest of the chair the principal's office provided as he gave a nod, eyes glancing down at the floor. Only Naruto, Hinata, Sakura and he were in the office, since the rest didn't really know what happened.

"What am I supposed to do then?" the old man said, sighing exasperatedly. "I do have a proposition, but I'm not sure you'll be up for it…" all four looked at him. "I have a friend who needs four students. I can provide Sakura and Hinata due to their performance in class; you wouldn't be a problem, Sasuke, if only you didn't have these fights." Sarutobi looked at all of them. "But I suppose your grades aren't wavering, so you can go with them. As for Naruto…"

"What? Just because I'm not a top student doesn't mean I'm flunking!"

"Yes, well, aside from that, I don't think I can excuse you, so instead, I may as well send another student." He smirked inwardly at Naruto's expression. "But it's not fair that he gets to go…" Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto. "Dobe." He muttered. Hinata felt bad and raised her hand a bit. "Um, sir..?" Sarutobi gave a nod. "Why don't I just stay here and help Naruto-kun with his academics? Besides, Sasuke-san and Sakura-chan are in a relationship, it'll be easier for them to work it out at your friend's."

"Good point." An idea clicked in Sarutobi's head as he remembered Kakashi talking to Orochimaru the other day about getting tired of having to witness "SasuSaku" moments when the two aren't in a _real _relationship. "Alright then, I'll send Sasuke and Sakura over, along with Sai and Kurumi."

* * *

_**Chapter 11: Jealousy**_

He twitched, not only did the principal tell them that they were sent for a photo shoot, but that geezer even had Kurumi to tag along!

"I can't believe I'll be with my dearest Sasuke-kun!" Kurumi chirped, having a vice-like grip on the Uchiha, completely ignoring Sasuke's protests. Sakura, from behind, sighed and smiled slightly as Sai whistled in awe. "I have to hand it to the captain's patience; he sure can tolerate that girl."

"On the outside, yes." She answered, giggling. "But inwardly, Sasuke-kun's most probably planning her death." Sai, being a good friend, smiled. "I think I know how to get you and Sasuke-san alone." Sakura blinked, looked at Sai as he walked over to Kurumi and pretended to scrutinize the girl's hair. "Oh dear, Nagasaki-san, is that a bug on your hair?"

Sasuke was about to ask what he was talking about when Kurumi screamed and unlatched herself from Sasuke as she began yelling at Sai, telling him to get rid of it as the said boy pretended to look for the bug. While Kurumi ran around with Sai following, Sakura and Sasuke were left to sweat drop at the scene.

"You know, they'd make a cute couple…" Sakura commented with a laugh as Sasuke smiled slightly, finding the two amusing when together. "I know what you mean." They continued staring at the two before Kurumi finally realized that there was no bug that she ended up hitting Sai, who only laughed, repeatedly.

They entered the studio in their high school uniforms, showing a pass from the principal to the guard who thought they were skipping classes. However, as soon as the security saw Sasuke, he immediately let them in, and the moment Sasuke realized where they were, he didn't know whether to smirk because he can escape being Kurumi's partner in some pair shots, or to groan because the studio they entered is run and owned by his very own mother.

"May I help you..?" A photographer asked, not really looking at them as he adjusted his camera, hoping for the volunteer models or the people that his boss, Mikoto, told him she'd send over. "Hey Shisui-niisan…" Sasuke greeted, smiling slightly when the man stiffened before facing them with a big grin upon seeing who was standing there. "Hey! Sasuke, little bro! What's up?!" he asked, approaching and asking for a high five from his best friend's little brother.

"The ceiling?" Sasuke replied, slapping his hand against his second older brother. "Heh, I see Itachi told you to say that when I ask. What're you doing here anyway?" Sasuke gave a shrug as he explained that his principal sent them. "So, you're the guys aunt Mikoto was talking about?"

"Probably, knowing how mom and dad are close to Sarutobi-sensei, I bet there's a reason he sent us here. And also since it's a favor or something…"

"Oh, okay," he leaned closer to the younger Uchiha. "What's banshee doing here?"

"Ask the principal, I really have no idea." Shisui nodded and turned to Sakura who was staring at them that he smiled and turned back to Sasuke. "Is this Sakura?" Sasuke nodded and Shisui whistled in awe. "Nice pick bro," he patted the boy's shoulder. "You two fit." And he gave a thumb's up as Sasuke laughed nervously. "So, you're our photographer?"

"Yep."

"Good, you can keep banshee away from me…"

Shisui chuckled and waved at the three. "Sorry for ignoring you, I'm Uchiha Shisui, your photographer for the day, best friend of Sasuke's aniki, and also, what I say, goes, got it?"

Sakura and Sai nodded but Kurumi laughed, smirked and raised her head high. "What makes you think you get to order me around just because your Itachi-niisan's best friend?"

"FYI Nagasaki-banshee, you have no right to call my best friend with a 'nii-san' attached to it, that's only reserved for Sasuke, his friends, and of course the little cherry blossom over there." He gave a wink to Sakura who blushed when she heard what the boy said. "You can call me 'Shisui-niisan' too, Sakura."

"H-hai…"

"Anyway, let's get started. Sasuke and…" he turned to Sai who introduced himself as Shisui nodded. "…Sai, you two get changed over there. As for you two ladies, your dressing room's over there. My assistants already have the clothing picked out, so put them on and we'll do some shoots. Single, group and pair. No complaints when I take the shot and pick the pairs, got it?" Sakura nodded as she went to the female dressing room with Kurumi muttering a few words as Sasuke and Sai went to the other.

* * *

"Hey, Sai..?"

"Yes captain?" Sai asked back with humor as Sasuke shook his head with a small smile as they began to change into the clothing set out for them in their respective cubicles. "Thanks for earlier."

"No problem, you're my captain and Sakura's my friend, it's the least I can do."

"Hn, but don't you think you're torturing yourself with banshee?"

"Nah, I like to annoy her."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you two get together." Sasuke muttered, causing Sai to laugh.

They stepped out of the dressing room as Shisui adjusted everything. "Your mom told me to take shots with you guys wearing clothes suitable for the rainy season, as well as the winter season since it's coming up." Shisui motioned the two girls to come out. "Alright, since Sakura's my little bro's girlfriend, they'll have to go together; I hope that's fine with you Sai." He said with a grin. Sai, of course, got what he meant. "Sure, I'll live." He said with a smile and shrugged.

"But that's not fair!" Kurumi complained.

"I don't think so, Kurumi." They all looked up as Mikoto came in. "As what Shisui said, my son and Sakura are in a relationship, so it's better if they do a shot together." Sasuke sweat dropped when he saw the glint in his mother's eyes. _"She's been watching soap operas again…" _he thought, sighing. "Better brace yourself for the poses." He whispered to Sakura who blinked confusingly. "My mom…" he muttered as Sakura sweat dropped and laughed.

"Sakura, I want you to open your umbrella and have a really bright smile to match the yellow jacket you have on, okay?" she nodded. "Pose as if you're leaning forward to cover Sasuke from the rain; your skirt isn't that short anyway." Shisui turned to Sasuke. "I want the hood of your jacket up," Sasuke did so. "Zip your coat." Shisui added.

Sasuke zipped up his white jacket and sat down as Shisui told him to. "Show me the Uchiha smirk bro!" Shisui said, readying his camera as the two posed. "Great, great!" he said. Mikoto approached the photographer. "Since this is the rainy season, I'd like a little romance picture for an article of the magazine your father owns." Sasuke had to slap his forehead mentally. "Shisui, I need them a bit wet for additional effect." Shisui motioned his assistants to shower the two with water droplets, making them look as if they were caught under the rain.

"Put your hood down and unzip your jacket Sasu-chan."

He obeyed his mother as Mikoto turned to Sakura. "Stand straight, look at Sasuke and then drop your umbrella." She blinked before doing what she was told to do. "Alright, Sasuke, face her and looked at her in a really serious way! I'm sure you get what I mean." He muttered something under his breath and did what he was told. "Of course, to make it look like she dropped her umbrella from shock, I want you leaning down towards her, eyes half-closed…"

Later, the couple found themselves in an awkward position. Sasuke had his eyes half-closed, gazing into Sakura's orbs, one arm around her waist, the other on her cheek while her hands were pressed against his chest, her face red and eyes wide. _"She has it easier… I have to act as if I'm really going to kiss her!" _he thought, cursing afterwards. Shisui clicked away as Mikoto made them pose some more, from one romantic picture to another.

"And the final shot for this!" she said. "I want you two to look like you're really going to kiss!"

"WHAT?!" They, as well as Kurumi, yelled. "Oh come on, no need to be shy!" she ushered the two at the same time, blocking out Kurumi's whines. Sakura tugged at Sasuke's sleeve. He turned to her, seeing how she gave him the "do-it" look and he sighed, giving a nod and leaning down to her, lips only a few centimeters apart. His arms were wrapped around her waist while hers were around his neck. Mikoto told Sasuke to bend forward a bit and had Sakura leaning back. Their eyes were closed and they really looked like they were about to kiss.

"Okay! Got it! Get changed into the other set of clothing while we take some shots of Sai and Kurumi." Shisui said. The two nodded and headed towards their respective dressing rooms, all the while hearing Kurumi whine and Sai annoying the heck out of her. "I wouldn't be surprised if those two-"

"Get together?" Sasuke finished for her. She looked at him as he smirked. "I already said that to Sai earlier." She laughed and slapped him on the arm lightly. "You really think Sai deserves the torture?" he shrugged. "He said he loved annoying her, since he's having fun bugging the girl."

* * *

"Pass it, pass it! Come on!" Kiba yelled as he got the ball and made his way towards the court. From the side, Shikamaru yawned as Zabuza remained standing, arms crossed and eyes looking stern as ever. "Where the hell is Sasuke anyway..?" Shikamaru muttered. Zabuza looked down at the boy who was squatted on the floor. "The principal sent him, Sakura and Sai on an errand." The vice captain looked up. "And you're fine with that?"

"It's not in my hands, the principal himself said so."

"But last time they got detention, you blew your top, even if the principal was the one who told you that info."

"…Shut up and get back to observing the game to come up with strategies."

"Troublesome." He murmured, eyeing the team. He hated it when Sasuke wasn't there. It just meant more work from him as vice captain of the team.

He flinched when Zabuza blew on his whistle and pointed at Idate. "That was a foul!" he yelled. Idate raised both arms and laughed nervously. "Sorry coach."

"Sorry isn't good enough Morino! What if you got five fouls huh? The championships are nearing people!"

"Relax coach." Everyone turned their heads to the gym door as Sasuke and Sai came in wearing their jerseys with Sakura tailing behind in her uniform, her clipboard in her arms. "The championships may be nearing but that doesn't mean we'll lose easily." Sasuke added, stretching his arms a bit as all three stopped when they reached beside Zabuza. Naruto approached them, wondering why Sai was happier than usual. "Hey, rookie, what's up?" he asked as Sai turned to him and smiled even more. "Here, take a look." He handed Naruto an envelope as the rest of the team huddled behind S7's leader when the blonde began to open it.

Sasuke glanced at them and recognized the object that Sai handed. "How did you get a copy of those?!" he asked, eyes staring widely at Sai who grinned and answered in an innocent tone. "Why, your mother of course, captain!" Sakura blinked and was shocked to see the pictures they posed for earlier, and everyone was grinning like mad and staring at her and Sasuke. "Nice shots, captain!" Kabuto said with a teasing smile. "Whoa Sakura, you look good here." Idate commented.

The couple was blushing, hard, and they just blocked out all the comments they got from the team. How they managed to ignore Kurumi's (who just arrived) whines may as well be a mystery. Never the less, they were, for once, glad that Sarutobi came to interrupt. "May I speak to the two lovebirds for a moment?" he asked as Zabuza nodded and the two quickly rushed out of the gym, not minding everyone who teased them about their poses.

* * *

Sarutobi chuckled at their embarrassed expressions when he stood in front of them while they sat on a bench that was located in the school's front garden. "Now then, I called you both to inform you two about the usual field trip we have for Juniors and Seniors." He said as the two looked up at him with questioning gazes. "Neji and Ten-Ten are in-charge of organizing in the fourth year level, and I've chosen the two of you for the third year level. Why? Well, your grades are top notch, one of you could be the valedictorian for your batch, the other being a salutatorian and since you two work together better. Not to mention, I can't get anyone else."

Sakura smiled. "That's fine with me sir." She elbowed Sasuke when she noted the frown on his face and he had to force a smile and accepted the task; even if he wasn't really looking forward to this work assigned to them. "Gai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei will be helping the four of you out, so don't worry. And besides, I can excuse you from school work, practice and even classes for the week. And yes, you're only given a week to prepare and finalize everything. As for where the trip will be held, Gai-sensei had suggested the Imperial Palace since he has a close friend of his who works there. And please do not inform Jiraiya-sensei about this, otherwise, he will be plotting in advance for another… inspiration for his side job." He left after the two nodded and didn't ask any questions.

"So, I guess we're stuck with each other again, huh?"

"Hn, looks like it." He said, looking up at the sky. "Let's leave early and discuss what we can plan and offer to Neji and Ten-Ten." She nodded as they picked up their things from the ground and headed out of the school gates. "Should we stay at your place or mine?" he asked when they were halfway near his apartment. "I'd say yours, I wouldn't want to hear mom gushing about us, nor would I want to catch her spying on us." He nodded as they stopped at his home. "You staying over or not?" she shrugged. "Whichever is convenient." She answered as they sat on his couch with Ame hopping beside Sakura and lying on her lap as she petted him. "Honestly, it'll be better if you stay here for the time being, it's easier to plan things. Not to mention, you wouldn't need to go back and forth from your house to mine."

"Good point." She said and stood up. "I'll call my mom first just so that she wouldn't worry of my whereabouts. Also, I'll need to get some clothes."

"You know, you can always wear mine." He smirked at her when she blushed. "I-it's fine, I wouldn't want to… bother you about it…" she trailed off when she felt him standing behind her. "Are you sure about that? Blowfish?" he whispered. Her inner kept squealing but she narrowed her eyes to keep her from being tempted to give in. "Uchi-suke! Stop seducing me will you?!" he blinked, staring as she glared at him with a really red face. He couldn't help but laugh at her. "I wasn't seducing you, gaki! I was just kidding around!"

"Well, quit it!"

"Why?"

"Because..!"

"Because what?"

"I… argh!" she marched towards the door but he pulled her back. "Alright, alright, I'll stop joking around." She squinted, as if scrutinizing him before sighing and giving a nod. "You're such a killjoy at times…" he muttered, letting her hand go and heading towards the kitchen. "Anyway, you want anything to drink before we start?"

"Um, it's okay…" she answered, feeling a bit wet. "Hey, Sasuke, can I use your bathroom?" he nodded and she quickly headed for the door nearby and locked it, afterwards, lifted her skirt up and pulled down her underwear. She blushed, and then yelled.

Sasuke was alarmed and quickly headed towards the comfort room and knocked, asking her what happened. "Shit! Shit!" she said. "What?!" he asked. "I can't believe this!!" she yelled. "What the hell is wrong?!" he asked, panicking. "Sasuke! I have my period!" he sweat dropped and stared. "And..?" he asked, not really sure why she had panicked like that. "I don't have pads with me!"

"Then buy some."

"No way am I going out without pads! My skirt's stained with blood and I'm having a heavy flow!"

"I'll lend you some of my clothes then."

"But what if I stain your clothes?! Neko!!"

"_Damn." _He thought. He hated it when she called him that; he usually gives in to whatever she requests. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the door, afterwards, crossed his arms. "Alright, what do I have to do?"

* * *

Lee stared at the things on the shelf. He kept debating which brand to buy. He sighed and picked one of the two, then tossed it in the cart as he pushed it towards another aisle. He couldn't really say no to his mom when she asked him to do the groceries for today. And he had nothing to do anyway, so he accepted the chore and proceeded to cross out the things he had already gotten. "Well, that's about it! Just one more thing before I'm completely done!" he pushed his cart to another aisle and blinked upon seeing his friend standing there, one eye twitching as a hand reached out to grab the item but pulled back again.

"Sasuke..?"

He stiffened and turned his head to Lee. The bowl-cut haired man approached him with his cart and eyed the item he was supposed to grab earlier. "Why are you buying pads..?" he turned a bit red and looked away, eyes a bit narrowed. "Sakura…" he muttered and Lee laughed then patted his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, my mom makes me do that at times. One of those times is now." He looked at the napkins aligned neatly on the shelves. "Well, if she's experiencing heavy flow, I'd suggest this brand and type." He pointed to one and Sasuke stared and blinked as Lee helped him out. He turned beet red when two old women passed by them and turned to stare at him and Lee, afterwards, commenting about "perverts" or "gays" or something along those lines.

"Um… Lee..?" the thick-browed man turned to Sasuke. "I'll take it from here, thanks for your help though." He quickly grabbed a basket and had four packs of pads in it since Sakura will be staying over at his place for a week.

* * *

He tapped the kitchen's table with his index finger repeatedly as he glared at Sakura's sheepish grin. He managed to convince her to borrow his clothes instead, so she was in a white long-sleeved shirt and wearing a pair of blue pants which were pretty long and loose on her. But he lent her a belt to keep it in place. "Stop that." He said. She grinned. "Sorry, it's just that, when you told me what happened in the store, I can't help but laugh despite having cramps." He closed his eyes and snorted as she giggled. "Come on! You have to admit, it is pretty funny!"

"I'm not doing you another favor for as long as I live." He looked at her and regretted it when she gave him her puppy dog eyes. He narrowed his eyes at her to form a glare, but she didn't mind it and continued to pout and look at him. "That's not gonna work." She didn't change her expression, and he knew he won't be able to endure too long. So he got up and went towards the fridge. She blinked and yelped when he threw a tetra pack at her. She looked at it and beamed, seeing that it was her favorite drink: Strawberry milk.

"Thanks neko-kun!!"

"Hn, gaki." He muttered. _"At least she's not doing those puppy eyes again."_

"So, what do you think of this trip?"

He shrugged. "If I was my old self, I'd say it's stupid."

"But now that you aren't…"

"I don't know, maybe a part of me is looking forward to it, and a part of me is saying 'I'd rather eat ramen the whole time then go there'."

"…You're acting like Naruto."

"I know, which is weird." He answered, shaking his head a bit. "Anyway, let's start?" she nodded as she placed the carton down for a while, still containing half of her strawberry milk in it. "Obviously, there'll be rooms, and from what I've heard about the Imperial Palace, the rooms are said to be capable to fit in two people."

"Then what we need to do first is to pair everyone in our batch up." She nodded and they started to work on the list. "We'll need to separate the girls from the boys in case other people take it the wrong way." He added, crossing out a few names, hoping that the pairs they picked would get along well with each other. "Are you sure you'll be okay with Sai?" she asked as he gave a nod. "I'd like to ask him what his plans are in torturing Nagasaki." He smirked when she giggled and punched him on his cheek playfully. "Who's acting like a gaki now?" she asked with a grin. "Hn," he eyed her drink and took it, then took a few sips, earning a surprised look from her as he finished the drink. "You're still a gaki no matter what happens." He said, smirking.

"T-That's indirect kissing!" she yelled, standing up and pointing an accusing finger at him as he raised a brow and smirked. "Hn… Gaki…" he leaned closer to her, causing Sakura to blush as he eyed her intently, a small smirk on his lips. "It's not like I haven't kissed you yet…" she blushed a darker shade of red and was frozen on the spot when he continued to stare at her like that, his smirk fading into a thin line as he watched her, thinking what she'll be doing about their close proximity. "U-uh… Um… I uh…" he smirked. "You what?"

"Stop cutting me off!" She yelled, her face still red as he laughed a bit and pulled away. "It's just too fun to annoy you, gaki."

She looked away with a pout. "I'm going to play with Ame." She muttered, heading towards the living room but seeing no blue-eyed black cat. Sasuke watched her look for his cat as an amused smile made its way to his lips. "Ame-chan??" she called out, looking high and low. "He's most probably in my room." She stopped and her eyes widened at the thought of entering his room. Come to think of it, she's only been there once, and it still feels awkward to enter his room. _"Gah! I think too much!" _she thought with a blush. He smirked, able to comprehend her expression. "Ame could be lying on _my _bed too, curled up like a ball, completely _defenseless _once I catch him off-guard." He enjoyed the flustered face of Sakura, knowing fully well what she was imagining with the emphasized words he mentioned. "And Ame could be _playful _too when he wants to be. He'd _struggle _and try to escape, but eventually, _wouldn't be able to_ since I'm too _fast_."

"ARGH! CUT IT OUT!!" she yelled, quickly covering her mouth upon realizing her outburst. He smirked some more. "Why are you so agitated?"

Her face turned a deeper shade of red if possible, and Sasuke couldn't help but just stare at her with that smug smirk of his.

* * *

"Naruto-kun..?"

He looked up and saw Hinata giving him a worried look. He forced a smile and looked back down at his shoes; the basketball he was dribbling earlier lay motionless beside him. "You… want to sit with me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Hinata tilted her head a bit but sat down beside him on the outdoor court's floor, keeping silent as she patiently waited for him to speak up. "How long has it been since teme hasn't been directly talking to me?" she nearly jumped when he spoke, but remained calm after registering what he just asked. "Um… tomorrow will make it a week."

"I see…" he gave another bitter smile and looked up at the blue sky. "At least coach isn't yelling about his absence." He murmured, chuckling a bit as he leaned his head against the wall they had their backs on. "It really sucks to be me…"

"Eh? What made you say that?"

"I nearly got Sakura in danger because of my stupidity, and not only that, it just caused my best friend to be a bit… mad at me still - despite apologizing."

"Just give Sasuke-niisan some time Naruto-kun." She answered. "I'm sure he just needs to clear his head for a while, or maybe because he's busy with the work assigned to him by the principal." He nodded in understanding and turned to Hinata with a small smile. "Thanks Hinata-chan, you always find a way to make me feel better with only words, as well as your company." He grinned sheepishly and turned a bit red as she blushed a bright crimson and looked down with a small smile, twiddling with her fingers when she gave a nod. "You're welcome, Naruto-kun."

He smiled at her then turned back to the view before him – not that there really was much to look at. "Hey, Hinata-chan, have you eaten breakfast yet?" she shook her head. It was a Sunday morning, and she was just taking a little stroll when she spotted him. And she didn't really want to stay in the house when most of the occupants were asleep. She was an early riser after all. "Come on then, I'll treat you to breakfast." He stood up and offered her a hand that she took, afterwards, pulled her up and led her to a nearby coffee shop: Starbucks.

Upon entering through the glass doors, they stopped and eyed the couple who sat a few feet ahead of them, drinking coffee in a _grandé_-size Styrofoam cup, plus four small triangular sandwiches as their breakfast. Hinata blinked, tilting her head a bit as she noted the papers on the table, as well as how busy the two were in jotting a few things down, only looking up to ask or confirm something to his/her companion before going back to his/her work.

"Teme? Sakura?"

The addressed two looked up to see Naruto and Hinata there, eyeing them with wide eyes, wondering what the two were doing up so early and together. Well, it wasn't much of a surprise to see them together, but at this early in the morning..?

"What're you two doing here?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke raised a brow. "Is it a crime to be sitting here and having breakfast?"

"You _know _what I mean…"

"Hn. Too lazy to cook…" he muttered before going back to his papers as Sakura sighed and smiled at Naruto and Hinata. "Actually, he just wanted to take a walk outside and we craved for Starbucks' coffee upon stepping out of his house." The two just gave a nod and eyed their papers. "What are those..?" Hinata asked. The two turned to the sheets and smiled sheepishly. "Just some paperwork the principal asked us to do." Sakura answered, stacking them neatly and inserting them in an envelope, along with Sasuke's who attempted to take his papers back to finish what he was doing. "We can do this later." She whispered. "We can't let them see or know about this, otherwise, everyone will come to us and request for who they want to be their roommates." He sighed and leaned back, giving a nod as he took a sip from his drink.

Naruto blinked, squinted, then gasped and pointed an accusing finger at them. "Based from your reactions and how you hastily hid the papers, you must be planning something!" they gulped inwardly, hoping Naruto didn't figure out what they were doing. Naruto approached Sasuke closer and narrowed his eyes. "I can't believe you teme…"

"Um, listen, it's not our fault, we just can't-"

"Can't control your hormones towards each other?!" they sweat dropped at Naruto's answer. "You got her pregnant so early that you're now planning a family budget!" more sweat drops. "No wonder you both live under one roof-" he gasped and eyed them warily. "You-you're living together?!" by now, Sasuke and Sakura were beet red since all eyes were on them, and Hinata's face was turning even redder than the victims. "I… I can't believe you did that so early teme!"

Next thing Naruto knew, he was flying in the air, cursing his best friend for the kick he got from Sasuke, who had a vein popping at the side of his head and glaring at where he flew off to, leaving Sakura to tend to Hinata who was still dazed at the too much information the blonde loud mouth just blurted out. All three turned to the people who were staring at them with wide eyes, particularly on Sasuke and Sakura. The two blushed hard and tried to think of what to say.

* * *

"I can't believe you just kept saying things like those!" Sasuke scolded Naruto as the two men walked down the street, Sakura and Hinata following closely behind. "Well so-rry! You guys looked like it…" he muttered. "And did'ya have to kick me?!"

"Yes. No duh…" Sasuke replied, narrowing his eyes at Naruto as he continued walking. "Next time, don't jump to conclusions. Or better yet, just keep your mouth shut! Geez…" he ran a hand through his bangs, frustrated at explaining to the people how it was all a misunderstanding, annoyed that some doubted him. "I said I was sorry!" Naruto retorted, turning his head away with a glare. The two girls behind them just smiled sheepishly at the way the two behaved like little kids.

* * *

The whole senior and junior batch stared at the place they were going to stay in for five days. Afterwards, they had no classes over the weekend, so it was like a one week vacation. The school holds these kinds of trips for third and fourth year students – since it's sort of like a "passing-on" of rights and duties from senior to junior who will be the next "sempai" of the school. For this, the five-day vacation was made for both parties to bond with each other and explain what it means to be a "big brother and sister" to the lower levels.

"This is so cool!!" Naruto yelled! Eyeing everything as Kiba mimicked him. Shikamaru just sighed, yawned and looked up at the clouds, relieved that the day was sunny, meaning - he can take a look at the white fluffy things in the air without worrying about rain. Shino was fascinated with the different species of bugs he found as they walked pass the garden whilst Lee talked about how it was such a great experience and honor to be a senior, and will now be passing the job to the juniors. Neji sweat dropped when he noticed the waterfall-like tears on his friend's eyes. "Talk about too much drama Lee…" he murmured. "Just let him be." He turned to see his co-worker for the trip, Sasuke, who was annoyed with all the noise Naruto and Kiba gave. Neji gave a smirk at this. "I should be telling you the same thing."

Sasuke merely shrugged. "It's Lee's last year, as well as yours, so better have all the fun you can get. These two, on the other hand, still have the next year, so I won't be tolerating their behavior…"

"Yet you assigned them as roommates." A smirk was what the Uchiha replied to him. "It'll be nice to know that they can't stand each other for too long, Hyuuga. You should know how loud their snores are." Neji shuddered upon remembering their last sleepover as a group. Naruto and Kiba's snores kept him up all night, and he was even bothered at how Lee talked in his dreams. "I still can't recall how you convinced me to share my room with those fourwhile you had Shino and Shikamaru sleep in the guest room where I was supposed to tell all of you to stay…"

"Funny how it happened to be your uncle's home too, and yet you were the one who appeared to have no say in the matter."

"I hate you for that."

"I know." The two turned to the teachers who called their attention as they read out loud the names of students for a role-call, as well as the assigning of rooms and roommates. Neji had Lee as a roommate, since boys and girls weren't allowed to share the same room, and since the only guy he trusts to share a room with in his batch is Lee. Naruto and Kiba were paired up, then came Shino and Shikamaru, afterwards, Sasuke and Sai. The leader of S7, of course, couldn't help but tease Sasuke about sharing a room with his rival, to which Sasuke replied that he doesn't need to worry since he knew Sai had someone else in mind – to torture at least.

"Hey look, a boat!" Naruto pointed, grabbing Hinata, whom he spotted up ahead, and pulling her towards the lake that was surrounded by cherry blossoms. Sakura, who was with Hinata, noted Naruto rushing towards the lake that she ran after them. Sasuke, who heard his best friend, sprinted to where he was heading – knowing what his best friend will be up to. He reached the bridge, hands on the railings, glaring at Naruto as he yelled: "Dobe, will you stop that and get back in line?! We can't afford you to-" he got cut off when someone ran into him, causing him to fall forward as the person grabbed his arm but ended up falling along with him down on the lake, causing a huge splash to earn everyone's attention.

"What the hell?!" he emerged from the water, spitting out the liquid that he swallowed as he eyed the person who fell in with him. "Gaki!" Sakura glared at him after coughing out water. "It's not my fault I wasn't able to stop in time!" she argued. Sasuke sighed and shook his head, both of them swimming towards shore and trying to catch their breaths. "Dobe, get back here!" he yelled, seeing Naruto with Hinata on the boat, right on the middle of the lake.

"Nice dive teme!" Naruto yelled back, laughing hard.

* * *

"Had a nice dip, captain?"

He looked up to see Sai smiling at him after dumping his bag on the floor beside the futon he sat on. Sasuke just closed his eyes and continued drying his hair with a towel, not really bothering to answer Sai's question when the rookie of the team took out a sketch pad and some art materials. Sai turned to the open window to see the stars shining really bright that night. "It must be nice to have a little walk around." He said out loud. Sasuke stopped drying his hair and turned to the window. "I don't think so," he answered. " I smell rain."

"Really? But there isn't a cloud in sight…"

"Yeah, but rain usually comes unexpected. It's the scent of the wind that gives you the warning, as well as how strong it will blow."

"I see. Well, I'm not really gonna go out. I'm just gonna walk around the place where there's a roof." Sai got up, sketch pad and art materials in hand as he stepped out of the room, leaving Sasuke to sigh and lie down on the bed for a while. "The school just had to prevent us from bringing our Nintendo DS…" he murmured.

After a few minutes of doing nothing, he got up and decided that a walk wouldn't be too bad, just as long as he doesn't run into-

"Sasuke-kun!!"

"…Damn it."

And he found Kurumi latching herself onto his arm in a vice-like grip, gushing a lot of annoying things that he didn't care about as he walked, her tagging along with that mouth of hers that made him want to buy duct tape and use it to prevent her from talking. Problem was, he won't be able to buy that tape now, since they're all stuck in the Imperial palace.

* * *

A smile was on her face as she gazed at the stars, seated on the railings that went around the humungous dojo-look-alike palace. She closed her eyes as the wind blew against her face, blowing her long hair. "Hm, that's a nice pose, I'm sure captain will like it." She opened her eyes and turned to the new voice, seeing Sai standing there with yet, another smile, and he was sketching on his pad. "What're you doing?" she asked. Sai merely shrugged and continued his work. "Ta-da!" he showed her his new art and she blushed when he captured the exact image of her earlier. "Your boyfriend's gonna love this."

"Sai!!"

"What?"

Sakura glared at him as he sweat dropped and chuckled. "I'm gonna look around for a bit." He started to walk away as Sakura ran after him, yelling death threats all the while as he quickened his pace.

"Sai, get back here!"

"No way!"

"Sai, I said-" she got cut off when she yelped, causing Sai to turn, drop his things and catch her in time as she blushed in embarrassment. He looked down at her and laughed. "You're such a klutz!" he joked as she glared. "Anyway, the captain will kill me if you're not okay, so, are you?" she grunted and gave a nod, still glaring at him. "This is all your fault!" he only smiled in reply, amused at her childishness. _"Man, at least she's with captain right now, I wouldn't need to push them towards each other after all!"_

* * *

"Tch. Finally got rid of her." He muttered, skidding to a stop from his running spree. He sighed, pocketed his hands and walked around, eyes turning to the night sky as he recalled his brother saying that Sakura loved stargazing as well. _"Hn. Even if we're pretending to be a couple, sometimes, I feel like we are, but…" _he lowered his head. _"…sometimes, I feel like… she doesn't even notice the messages and hints I've been showing…"_

He couldn't get his mind off of her. He just had to tell her, but he was worried about their friendship. Even if his friends told him to go for it, he just couldn't. He wasn't sure if she felt the same way, even if a lot of evidences clearly stated that they both shared the same feelings like Naruto and Hinata does. But still…

"_Why do I have a gut feeling..?" _he turned around the corner of the Imperial palace, wondering how Konoha High managed to get them to have a trip, plus a five-day stay, in this place. When he looked up after hearing someone yelp, his eyes widened. There was no way he was seeing Sakura in Sai's arms, and even if her back was faced to him, Sai was looking at her, and his eyes were showing concern, and perhaps even amusement.

"…Sakura?"

Sai and Sakura heard him that they both looked at where he stood. Before anything else, Sasuke had turned and ran, unable to hear Sakura call him, because his thoughts were jumbled – and that prevented him from being aware of his surroundings right now, such as the rain that fell hard on him when he stepped out of the Imperial palace grounds, not really caring where he was heading. Because as he thought back then, it just felt good to run when you're confused, to run and escape.

It was weird; whenever it involved him and Sakura, rain would always occur. It was like a season meant for them – be it in happiness, or sadness. It, in a way, played an important role in their lives. He believes that it was there to help him, to help him feel better after running under it, to help him be refreshed after, and help him be cleansed from his pain, to wash away everything that he wants to forget. _"Am I… that much of an idiot?" _he asked himself, slowing down until he completely stopped, panting a bit, catching his breath as he let the rainfall soak him from top to bottom. He didn't mind if his bangs clung to his face, if his clothes stuck to his skin. He didn't care about that right now. He just wanted to be alone for now, to forget whatever caused him this grief. _"There's just too much drama in life…" _he closed his eyes and lifted his head, letting the tears of the heavens continue to soak him.

"I'm done for…" he whispered. "I really am in love with her… to feel this way, to be this way, to act this way…" he opened his eyes to look ahead of him as he tried to calm down and rethink things. _"That was a really stupid move Sasuke…" _he told himself. _"I thought I said I wouldn't jump to conclusions? Tch. I'm such an idiot." _His eyes were a little dazed as he turned around and walked back to the palace in a slow pace. Not in a hurry to get back, but sure that he will return, so as not to worry the others. _"Heck, I just don't want her to flip when she finds out I'm missing…"_

* * *

Naruto just kept cursing inwardly when he still couldn't find his best friend. He found it weird that the teme would jump to conclusions so easily. _"Isn't that supposed to be me?!" _he stopped when he spotted his best friend's figure approaching the palace. "Sasuke! You're such an idiot! Can't you see the rain's pouring?!" Sasuke walked pass him, his eyes looking like he was in a trance. "Teme?" he stopped and turned his head slightly to Naruto with half-closed eyes. "Gome, Naruto, but… could you… leave me alone for a while?" Naruto stared at him for a while before giving a slow nod as Sasuke headed for his room.

His mind was still clouded, the image of Sai and Sakura hugging were still in his head, and he admits, he's really jealous. Plus the fact that there's a chance that Sai may already be aware that their relationship is a fake, and that he may actually have feelings for Sakura, and vice versa. _"Am I that unlucky in love?" _he reached his room and made a move to slide open the door, but he couldn't when he heard Sakura talking to Sai. He was tempted to leave, not really wanting to see her, but he was feeling a bit light-headed, and he felt really sleepy. So, without much of a choice, he opened the door and stood still when both turned to him. He saw that Sakura had watery eyes, meaning she was on the verge of crying, and Sai was trying his best to comfort her. For what, he wasn't sure.

"Sasuke…kun…" she choked out, the tears in her eyes finally falling when she saw him, relief washing over her. He took a step inside, but his eyelids felt heavy that he gave in to the exhausting feeling he was having, and he could sense how his body fell forward, as he expected to get a hard hit on the floor. But instead, he felt two arms wrap around him and one hand cradle his head. His eyes opened a bit, even if his vision was blurry, he could still see the worried look the gaki sent him. "Ga…ki…" he murmured, before falling asleep, feeling the warmth coming from her.

"Sasuke no baka…" she whispered, stroking his hair, concerned showing on her facial expression when her palm felt his forehead, shocked that it was hot, not to mention, his face was a little red, and his brows were furrowed slightly, plus, he was soaking wet. "Oh no, he's coming down with a fever." She said, turning to Sai who quickly took out some dry clothes from Sasuke's bag, as well as a towel. "Um… you better close your eyes for a while." He said when he removed Sasuke's shirt to get him out of the wet clothes in order to prevent his fever from worsening.

Sakura closed her eyes and waited patiently for Sai to finish. "Alright, I'm done." She opened her eyes and looked at Sasuke. "I'm going to confront him tomorrow." She said, helping Sai in getting Sasuke onto the futon. "Go easy on him." He said. "So, I assume you'll be staying here then?" she gave a nod so he sat on his futon and started another sketch. "If you feel sleepy, just tell me okay? I wouldn't want you to get sick too, otherwise, he'll be having my head." She smiled a bit and gave a nod, then turned back to aiding Sasuke. _"Neko… it sure reminds me of the time I was sick, only this time, you're the one I'm taking care of." _She gave a bitter smile and stroked his head, remembering how he had a migraine before and easily fell asleep when she did this.

* * *

His closed eyes furrowed before slowly opening, blinking to adjust to the light as he turned his head slightly to the side, seeing Sai's futon folded, and the person nowhere to be seen. He slowly sat up and placed a hand on his head, trying to remember what happened the other night. _"Right, I saw her with him…" _he gave a sigh and leaned back on his palms, nearly jumping when he felt someone else's hand there. _"Sakura..?" _she was still asleep, lying beside his futon, her facial expression still showing concern as he felt a bit guilty for letting her worry.

Without any second thoughts, he pushed her bangs away, stroking her hair repeatedly as a small smile made its way to his lips. "You're really confusing me, gaki." He murmured, making a move to stand up but he felt her hand grab his arm to prevent him from doing so. "Don't." she said, eyes still closed.

"You're awake?"

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. "Don't go…"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Then what were you planning to do..?"

"Let you lie down here for a more comfortable sleep."

She remained silent for a few seconds before speaking once again. "You're sick…" he gave a reassuring smile to her. "I'm fine." Sakura sat up and placed a hand on his forehead. "You're still warm, you're not yet well." He grabbed her hand and guided it to his cheek, letting it rest there as he looked at her in the eye, still smiling, albeit a small one. "Don't worry, I'll be fine, I don't feel so sick anymore." She hesitated for a second before lowering her head. He blinked, tilting his head a bit. "Sakura..?"

"Baka, I was worried about you last night!" she nearly yelled, letting herself fall into his arms as she cried. "Don't do that Sasuke! Don't just run away like that!" she scolded. He looked down at her, eyes wide before half-closing until his eyelids blocked his vision and his arms went around her, pulling her to him for a tighter embrace. "Sorry, usagi-chan…" she pulled away slightly and looked up at him. "…what?" she asked. He gave a gentle smile. "I jut felt like calling you a rabbit, since you get mad when I call you gaki or blowfish."

"…make up your mind." She muttered, leaning her head against his chest and closing her eyes. "Hn. Fine, I'll stick with gaki. It suits you better."

"Why'd you run away like that?" she asked, her hands grabbing a fistful of his shirt in case he attempts to pull away. "Because…" he whispered, pulling away slightly to look at her. "I was jealous." She blinked. "I was jealous when I saw you with Sai." He answered her questioning gaze. "Even if we're not really… together, I still envy Sai. It's like you're so close to him, yet I feel like I'm only close to you because of this pretend relationship." She giggled and poked the tip of his nose lightly as he eyed her. "You're such a baka! I tripped when I was chasing him since he was teasing me again. He caught me to prevent me from hitting the floor, saying that he didn't want to be responsible for my accident, and because of the fact that a certain captain here might punish him during practice."

Sasuke shook his head and sighed. "Sorry."

She smiled. "That's okay." And afterwards, stood up and stretched. "Ne, get some rest. In case you're forgetting, when we get back to school on Friday, you have a game against Sand the next day. You'll need to be in tip top shape to face Gaara." He followed her with his eyes until she left the room. His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched and shook. Not only was it because of the fact that he was going to have a showdown with his rival, but also because of the fact that Sakura still hasn't noted the subtle hint of his true feelings for her. _"Next time, I'm saying it. I'm gonna tell her that I love her."_

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 12: Sand vs Konoha vs Sound_

"Anything..?"

She turned to Sasuke then back to Zaku and gave a nod. "Just… don't hurt him…"

Zaku smirked. "Come to think of it, emotional pain _is _better than physical pain, right guys?" his gang laughed and agreed as Zaku approached Sakura, not minding how Sasuke glared and told him to back off. What the Oto student did next made both his and Sakura's eyes widen, especially when Zaku pulled her to an embrace to prevent her from breaking the kiss.

* * *

_A/N: You're all going to kill me for that, I just know it! Guys, I'm really sorry for not updating soon and if this chapter is… disappointing and not really worth reading. Plus the fact that it's too short. But I really rushed this just to be able to update for the month of June. Since senior year in high school is pretty stressful and tough, I'm down to updating this fic once a month, so the next chapter should hopefully be up in the last week of July or earlier. Just please don't pressure me in updating soon because it _**does not help**_in improving my writing skills. Plus the fact that the chapter will come out rushed due to time pressure._


	12. Sand vs Konoha vs Sound

_A/N: Slight Kimimaro x Tayuya up. And I decided to update earlier, since I'll be having our school's quarterly exams soon, plus the entrance exam for college. Wish me luck guys! Next update, I estimate it to be out by around third or fourth week of August, if I am able to get as much free time as I've had with this.  
_

* * *

**Ironies of Life**

"Alright team! Our game against Sand is tomorrow, so start shaping up today and sleep really early!" Zabuza yelled as the whole basketball team practiced like there's no tomorrow in the gym, perfecting their passes, assists and rebounds, as well as their defense. Shikamaru had suggested making it a point to keep these things up since it will be the key that will lead them to victory.

"No matter how good we are at offense, it won't be of any use if we suck at defense and assists." The vice captain said after yawning. "True," Zabuza answered. "But that doesn't mean you're excused from practicing!" he turned to face Shikamaru who was squatted on the floor with a bored look on his face. "Get out there and start playing Nara!"

Shikamaru muttered a troublesome before standing up and rushing towards the court before he could get hit by Zabuza who was already fuming at the lack of focus some of the players were displaying. "Idate, Kabuto, Dartan and Jiro! You're already seniors! Stop slacking off!" he yelled when he saw the four beginning to slow down. He turned to the team captain, watching with cautious eyes in case Sasuke would suddenly fall to his knees due to exhaustion. After all, based from what Sakura told him, he wasn't fully well yet.

"_Uchiha…" _Zabuza thought while eyeing the teen.

Sasuke bent down a bit, hands on knees, head raised as he panted and let sweat drip down from his forehead and onto the gym floor. He stood up straight, took a deep breathe in and did some stretching. His ten laps were done, now all he needed was to stretch and he can join his team in practicing.

"_Can you face Gaara in that condition..?"_

* * *

_ **Chapter 12: **__**Sand vs Konoha vs Sound**_

"Neko-kun…" he looked up, seeing Sakura with a concerned look on her face as she stared at him, observing his expression: the way his eyes were half-closed and how his breathing was shallow and ragged. It was like he was a newbie after playing, since he was never this tired even if their practice game would go on and on. Somehow, he would always have a reserved stamina or some more energy left. But now, it was different. It's like it was his first time to even play basketball. "I'm fine." He answered firmly, pushing himself up and off the gym floor as he walked pass her to continue practicing.

Sakura turned to him, her eyes following his every movement, noting the signs of fatigue, such as the way he staggered at times. "Neko…" she said, loud enough for him to hear as he stopped and waited for her to speak. "…Don't strain yourself, I'm…" she placed a hand on her chest, fingering the cross pendant that he gave her during the festival with the other hand. "I'm scared…" she whispered. "I'm scared that something bad may happen to you." She raised her head and looked at him with worry-filled eyes.

He closed his eyes for a bit before turning to look at her with a small but reassuring smile. "I'm fine, don't worry. I know my limits." And he turned back to the court and continued to practice, missing the tear drops that fell from Sakura's eyes when she thought of what else could happen. _"Sasuke-kun, I don't want you to always suffer for the sake of others, I don't want you to carry everything by yourself…" _she wiped her tears away with the sleeves of her uniform and took a seat next to Hinata who recorded the team's plays. _"Why do you keep pushing me away when I worry about you?" _

Zabuza witnessed the talk the two had, but he remained quiet and continued eyeing Sasuke, not really wanting to stop him from playing, since he knew what his reasons were despite his condition. _"It's no wonder that the seniors chose him to be the captain of the team." _He sighed inwardly and blew his whistle. "Alright guys, that's it for today! I don't want all of you to be drained for tomorrow, so right now, I'm dismissing you. Get some rest and don't be late!" he waited for all to reply before continuing. "I've talked to the principal and asked him to excuse you from the quizzes, tests and other homework that are due tomorrow, so that you can all rest. The principal agreed, but some of you who are only on the passing grade must make up for it." He eyed Naruto and Kiba who laughed nervously. "Alright, dismiss!"

* * *

"Teme, are you sure you can play tomorrow?" Naruto asked as the rest of S7 who are part of the team approached him, silently asking the same question that the blonde mentioned. Sasuke stopped halfway from picking up his bag, remaining silent for a few moments before turning to them with the same smile he showed Sakura earlier. "You guys worry too much." He took his bag and slung it over his shoulder and headed towards the exit, waving one hand up in the air as a gesture of goodbye. "See you tomorrow, and don't worry about me." They just watched and absent-mindedly nodded. 

"He's forcing himself, isn't he?" Kiba muttered, eyeing Sasuke's retreating figure. Shikamaru sighed and walked towards his bag. "Obviously, but it's not like we can also tell him to not play. This is Sand we're talking about; therefore, Sasuke won't back down just because of a fever."

"He's still sick..?"

They turned to Sakura who stood there, staring at them and listening to their conversation. Kiba laughed nervously as Shikamaru followed suit and tried to explain the situation, hoping that he can convince Sakura that Sasuke was alright. She only looked down and briskly walked pass them, afterwards, jogged after Sasuke. "Nice going smart ass." Naruto said, eyeing Shikamaru who scratched the back of his head. "Sheesh, it's not like she doesn't know anyway."

"True," they turned to see Sai approach them, ready to leave as well. "She's the one who took care of our captain after all." He smiled slightly. "If you ask me, I think the captain's just acting that way because of interruptions that has been happening during our stay in the Imperial palace."

S7 looked confused as Shino turned to Sai. "What do you mean..?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know, but it's something that he wants to tell Sakura but can't due to unavoidable happenings." He walked pass them. "I should go now; my mom's expecting me to be home soon."

* * *

"_Damn it." _He thought, glaring at the cemented floor he walked on. _"I had so many chances to tell her back in our trip, yet that dobe, fuzzy brows and Hyuu-gay kept bugging me…" _he cursed again. _"Crap, I'm getting another migraine." _He stopped walking and closed his eyes for a while, letting his headache lessen a bit before taking another step forward. He felt someone pull the fabric of his black jersey from behind, so he stopped and turned, seeing Sakura standing there, looking at him straight in the eye. "Gaki…" he acknowledged. 

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He raised a brow and she sighed, walking up beside him and placing a hand on his forehead. Albeit she had to tip toe to reach it since he was taller. "You still have a fever Sasuke." He didn't say anything for a while. He only raised his right hand and held onto hers, pulling it away from his forehead while his eyes were on hers. "Sasuke-kun..?" he just stared at her, before giving a smile and poking her on the nose gently, to which she blinked, afterwards, looked at him with wide and innocent eyes. He grinned. "It's only a fever gaki, it's not like it'll kill me." She looked down. "Yeah, but it can if your temperature gets higher."

"Note: 'if'." He said. "That's why I'm going home right now to get some rest, so that I'll be fine the next day."

"But… you didn't even get enough sleep during our stay in the palace! You were still up and running even if I kept telling you to stay put! Which is why you're still not well!" she scolded but he only laughed lightly. "You're acting like a mom gaki." He joked. "Sasuke, stop kidding around!" she yelled, which shocked him. "I'm serious! I don't want you to get any sicker! I don't want you to force yourself, even if it's for the sake of others!" he noted how her eyes were already watery, and he knew that she was only worried, which is why she was acting this way. "Please…" she begged, leaning towards him, letting her forehead rest on his chest as she shed her tears. "…stop doing this to yourself."

Sasuke didn't react for a few moments, contemplating about something for a while before wrapping two arms around her, pulling her into an embrace as she raised her head a bit so that his chin could rest on top of her pink tresses. "Like I said, I'll be fine." She sighed and leaned closer. "No you won't. I've seen you play against Gaara, and it's not healthy for you to give it your all when you're like this." He closed his eyes and smirked. "Are you just saying that to cover up the reason that you want to stay over?"

She blushed and looked at him with a glare. "Baka! Why do you keep on joking around whenever things are serious?!" he laughed a bit and looked up at the dark sky. "I can't help it…" he whispered. _"It's the only way I know that will assure me that you won't… leave…" _she sighed and wiped the remnants of tears away from her eyes and again, leaned her head on his chest. "At your condition right now, I want to stay over at your place to make sure you'll really get some rest…"

"Hn. Why didn't you just say so, gaki?" he pulled away, held her hand and gave a light thug. "Come on." And she walked with him, looking down at his hand that held hers. She let a smile form on her lips before responding by wrapping her fingers around his. He discreetly glanced at her and smiled a bit then turned back to the path up ahead.

* * *

"Yeah, I have to make sure he'll really get some rest." She explained, sighing when her mother beamed on the other line, getting too excited for Sakura's own good. She glanced at Sasuke who smirked upon hearing Kasumi's outbursts. "Alright mom, bye." She hung up soon and fell to her knees, a forced smile on her lips as she twitched a bit. "I can't believe her…" she muttered. Sasuke just shook his head and stood up, afterwards, headed towards the kitchen. "I can't believe you're not used to her yet." Sakura glared at his retreating back and followed him, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him to sit on one of the chairs of the dining table. 

"Sit. I'll cook." She said in a demanding tone and went to snatch the white bandana and apron that was hidden in one of the kitchen drawers. Her frequent visits and stays here led her to almost memorizing where things were kept. "Even if I argue, you wouldn't change your mind." He stated and she gave a nod and tied the bandana around her head after putting the apron on. "Anyway," she flipped her long hair back, keeping it away from her face. "I think it's better I do this, knowing you, you'll only exhaust yourself."

"Hn." He had his right cheek rest on his right palm, his right elbow propped on the table as he opened one eye to look at her and smirked. "Must be nice to have a wife like you…" she stiffened, knowing very well what he was up to. "Yeah, you'd really take good care of your husband and kids…" he watched her reaction as she tried to ignore him. "From the looks of it, you'll most likely be sweet to your family, pouring your heart and soul in cooking for them, smiling whenever they would ask for seconds and-" he had to suppress a laugh to come out when he heard the thud of the knife, nearly slicing the chopping board as she twitched and slowly turned her head to him with a warning look, not to mention, her face beet red. "Hn, gaki." He grinned, loving every minute of her pissed off look.

Sakura tried to maintain her cool and sighed all her anger out, afterwards, continued in chopping the vegetables. A small smirk played on her lips as she decided to play his little game. "Yeah, too much praise coming from you isn't a healthy sign Sasuke. Maybe I ought to prevent you from playing tomorrow, your fever is worse than I thought." He opened his other eye and fully turned his head to look at her back, his silence being an urge for her to continue. "I know I'll make a good wife someday, but it's not much of a problem to practice early, right?" she smiled at him and he blushed slightly, hoping she'd think it was due to the fever he had. "And by pretending to be your wife right now, I'd have to tell you to go up to your room and rest; I'll bring your dinner there instead."

"Very funny." He muttered, closing his eyes when he turned from her, leaning back on the chair he sat on as he crossed his arms. "There's nothing funny about what I said Sasuke." She stopped chopping and turned on the stove where the pot of boiling water was. She poured the vegetables in and added some seasoning, stirring it at times and then placed back the lid of the pot. "Alright, I get it, I'll stop joking around." She grinned triumphantly but found this game of his fun that she wanted to continue. "Aww, why?" he stiffened when she wrapped her arms from behind him and had her chin rest on top of his left shoulder as he slightly tilted his head to face her, seeing a smile on her lips. "It's fun." She whispered.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "I hate you…" and she laughed, knowing that she had won. She pulled away and waved everything off. "Sorry, it was just getting tiring to have you winning all the time." She turned back to her cooking as he eyed her with softened eyes. "Yeah…" he answered. _"…but you really have no idea what you just did to me…" _

She noted how he suddenly turned silent, but decided not to bother him about it and finished the food she was preparing.

* * *

"For the last time gaki, you take the bed." 

"No way, you're sick; you sleep on your bed!"

He eyed her sternly, arms crossed and the look that said he wasn't going to back down. Sakura had the same expression, except her hands were on her hips as they had a glaring contest. Ame stretched his front limbs and hopped onto Sasuke's bed, curling up into a ball. Hey, if his master and Sakura won't take it, he'll take it. "Ame, down..." Sasuke said, not looking away from Sakura's eyes. The cat's ears twitched a bit before it stood up and shook its head violently and then jumped down, settling itself on the cold wooden floor, probably thinking nasty comments for being told to go down.

"I'm not taking the bed." She said. Sasuke didn't respond and only continued to glare. Eventually, she sighed and muttered incoherent words. "See you in the morning." He said, about to leave the room when she pulled him. "What?" he asked but was answered when she pushed him on the bed and soon ran towards the door. Sasuke got up and wrapped his arms around her waist, afterwards, pulled her back as she yelped. They fell back on the bed with him not letting her go as she struggled and yelled, telling him that he was sick and that he deserves to sleep on the bed, with him retorting that she was a guest in the household. _"Damn, I knew I should've had a guestroom ready." _He thought back to the horror stories that his dad told him when he was young. _"On second thought, having an empty room next to yours is pretty scary…" _he shook his head and focused on the girl lying on top of him right now, which sounded pretty wrong.

"_Damn, and I'm just an eighteen year old guy who has hormones! For God's sakes!" _he shut his eyes when his cheeks turned red, he tried to think of other things, like beating Naruto up for forcing him to watch a porn movie last year with the rest of S7. But that didn't exactly help as the scenes and images that he witnessed plagued his head. "Shit! Sakura, get out of here!" he yelled, letting her go as she fell on the floor when she tried to pull free from his grip.

Sakura blinked and looked up at him, the moonlight coming from the window beside his bed illuminating him. He was seated, his right elbow propped onto his right knee that was a bit close to his chest, his right hand covering the half of his face while his fingers were laced with some strands of his hair. She eyed him a bit more, his left hand was pressed against the mattress of his bed, and it was gripping onto the white bed sheet. From the way his visible brow was furrowed, she could tell he was glaring at something, and that he had thoughts playing in his head, thoughts that she has no clue about what.

"Sasuke…kun..?" she went on her knees and slowly attempted to place a hand on top of his left one. But he flinched a bit, and that caused her to pull back and wonder what was wrong. His face was extremely red, and right now, she couldn't say whether he was mad or what. His look scared her, at the same time, intrigued her. "…get out." He repeated; his voice a little lower and softer. She tilted her head slightly. "I need to clear my head." He answered her unspoken question. Sakura gave a nod and stood up, afterwards, walked out of his room, shutting it softly behind her as she sighed and leaned against it, her head slanting towards the door to check if he was mumbling to himself again.

"_I'm a guy, I should be aware of these things." _He closed his eyes and let his fingers run through his hair. _"Damn you dobe, this is all your fault for introducing me to that stupid book." _He shook his head slightly and let his feet touch the carpeted floor, his head lowered as he tried to relax. _"I better go take a shower, a cold one."_

* * *

She raised her head when she heard him sneeze. Sakura soon stood up from her seating position and gave three light knocks. "Hey, I'm coming in." she announced, turning the knob and pushing the door open. She glared at him when she saw his hair dripping wet, but inwardly sighed in relief when he was fully clothed. She did not want to see him topless again – not because she didn't really want to, but she did not know how much she could take. "Did you take a shower..?" he glanced at her with droopy eyes and gave a nod before turning back to drying his hair. "Geez Sasuke! You'll get sick all the more!" she scolded, stepping in and forcing him to sit on the bed as she sat beside him and took the towel from him. "Great, now you have a cold." She muttered when he sneezed again. 

"I'm fine." He said, his voice groggy. "Mou, what am I going to do with you..?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she dried his hair with the towel he was using earlier. "Tch, you treat me like some kind of a kid." He closed his eyes and let her dry his raven locks, not really minding, but it would be pretty embarrassing if someone walked in on them – which is why he preferred to live alone right now, to prevent those things from happening. "You _are_ a kid, right now at least." She teased. "Hn."

"Maybe you ought to skip school tomorrow to get some rest," he was about to protest but she placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "I wasn't done," she informed. "Just come to school when it's game time. That way, we'll be sure that you'll be fine." He sighed and turned away with a stubborn look in his onyx orbs. "Fine." He muttered. She giggled and poked him on his cheek, causing him to turn back to face her. "That's a good little neko." He glared slightly at her but she only laughed.

* * *

Zabuza eyed his team as they all warmed up to get ready for the big game. He made sure that Lee would be able to watch the game and sit with the team's bench, along with Neji and Ten-Ten since the male Hyuuga, for some strange reason, demanded that she would sit with him. Naruto of course, teased him that he had a crush with girl, which led to a bump on the blonde's head. "Sakura," she looked up at the coach who eyed Sasuke who was busy talking to the starting members about Shikamaru's new plan. "Is he well enough?" 

"I asked him to play later, and not be part of the first five, just to keep his stamina and strength in check." She said. "He agreed since Sai's there to somewhat take his place when he's still on the bench." Zabuza gave a nod and looked at their opponent from the corner of his eyes. "Gaara looks like he's ready to go for the kill." He said out of the blue as Sakura followed where the coach was looking at and indeed, the red-haired ace of Sand High had a smirk on his lips, but from the looks of it, he wasn't part of the first five.

"He probably knows that Sasuke isn't playing yet." Zabuza's brows furrowed some more. "I have a bad feeling about this day…" he only mentioned that when he spotted the notorious team of Sound seated on the front bleachers, having smirks that looked like they were up to no good. "Sensei…" he turned to Sakura. "Should we inform the principal about this? I'm really worried of what may happen." Zabuza turned back to look at Sound's team before placing a hand on top of Sakura's head and lightly patting it a few times. "Don't worry; I'm sure that the teachers present here won't let anything bad happen." He looked at her. "Just keep your attention on the game and cheer the team on."

She smiled a bit and gave a nod.

* * *

The referee blew on his whistle as the game started, Konoha having the ball on their side as Kiba dashed towards the court with Shino readying himself on the three-point line. Kabuto eyed their opponents carefully before raising his hand for a pass signal, to which Sai gave a nod since he had the ball. "Guys! This rookie is going to pass it to Yakushi!" one Sand player yelled as he rushed to block the pass. He was puzzled when Sai gave a smile and let the ball drop from behind him when he pushed his arm forward, causing Naruto, who ran behind Sai to get the ball, to grin and quickly threw it against the basket's board, letting it bounce as Kiba jumped and dunked it, getting Konoha a two point score. 

Sakura turned to Shikamaru and Sasuke who had smirks on their faces. "New strategy?" she asked as they nodded. "It's more of a combined one from our scraps." Shikamaru said. "That dunk combo of Kiba and Naruto's came from Sasuke's latest move: Pass Dunk."

"But it requires two people this time." Sasuke added. "Unlike the one I used against Sai, which only needed one person. This strategy and move will go well if two people are involved to perform it, as well as the rest of the team's right timing and unexpected moves." Zabuza was listening and he smirked. "That's our team for you, we love playing psychology against other teams." Hinata blinked and turned to Zabuza, not really getting what he meant. "You'll see." The coach said, waiting in anticipation for the next few moves.

"When did you invent that move..?" Sakura asked suspiciously. Sasuke gave a sneaky smirk. "Shikamaru sort of went to school late on purpose earlier for a good reason." She blinked and glared, managing to get what he said. "You mean to tell me you still practiced a while ago when I was in school?!" the Uchiha teen answered with another smug smirk. "Shikamaru dropped by as soon as you left and we invented some original moves that haven't been seen."

"But-"

"Relax gaki," he said, poking her lightly on the forehead. "I'm fine now, in fact," he turned to watch the game. "I feel better than ever."

Sakura didn't back down. "Baka, you're only worsening your condition!" she scolded as he turned back his attention to her, not noticing how some of his teammates who were seated with him and Shikamaru eyed them. "You're the team captain Sasuke, and you should take better good care of yourself! Because of what you just did this morning, I'm not letting you play!"

"Hn, you can't do that." She faced him. "Why not?!" he didn't look at her as he stood up when the first time-out from Sand High took place. "Because as you said, I'm their team captain." And he left to replace Kabuto, giving him a pat on the shoulder as a gesture of 'good job'. He gave a nod and fixed his glasses before taking a seat and drank a bottle of water. He was more on strategies and assists, since his stamina against Sand was not a good match. _"I did my part, now all I have to do is cheer them on until I'm called back again."_

"Sasuke, don't! Stop it!" she stood up and attempted to run after him but Lee grabbed her wrist. "Sakura-san," she looked at the former team captain as he gave her a small smile. "Let me tell you a little story about Sasuke, and as to why I chose him to replace me."

* * *

"Uchiha…" he turned to see Gaara with a smirk. Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly and waited for the red-haired team captain to approach. "I've been waiting a long time for this," The referee checked the seconds left, readying himself to blow onto his whistle to signal the continuation of the game. "It's time I bring you down." 

Sasuke smirked and shook hands with Gaara, their grip hard and firm. "You're on, Sabaku."

And the referee blew the whistle as Sand had control of the ball this time. Kankuro immediately passed it to his brother who was guarded by Sasuke. Gaara narrowed his eyes, forcing himself not to smirk since his coach told him to be serious of this game and not have fun playing. But then, he didn't really intended to have fun, especially when he's up against Sasuke, the only guy who ever broke pass his defense, after Lee at least. He admits, Lee was a worthy opponent, but defeating Konoha when they were still under the thick-browed student just made him want to look for another challenge, that's when Sasuke came in, and that's when he swore to avenge the lost they had after their practice game against Konoha.

"_To think, Kankuro even insulted him when they came to our school, not to mention, he mocked Uchiha, saying that the game would be a piece of cake under someone who doesn't even take part in the sport too much." _He couldn't get pass Sasuke so he had to pass it to another player. _"That's when Uchiha showed us that he was a secret weapon of the team, a player that Lee reserved for circumstances that can't be handled by the rest. Too bad he was absent on the day Konoha had, for the first time, lost." _

"Steal it!" Sasuke yelled as Shino made a turn to stop the ball from reaching the Sand player's hands. He quickly threw it high in the air as it headed towards their side of the court. "Fast break!" he yelled as soon as the ball left his hand. Kiba and Naruto ran as fast as they could towards the other court while the rest of the players on both teams sprinted, eyes focused and determined.

Kiba jumped, catching the ball in the air at the same time toss it to Naruto since a player had jumped after him. The blonde leader of S7 caught the ball and ran towards the basket, stopping when someone blocked that he passed it to Sai who jumped in the air and shot the ball towards the net, earning a three-point score for Konoha.

Their teammates cheered as Gaara turned to his own team, silently asking what went wrong but they remained quiet and rushed back to their positions. The red-haired eyed Sasuke for a while, contemplating on a few things. _"Uchiha isn't just an ace player," _he took the ball and ran towards the basket, Sasuke trying his best to prevent him from scoring. _"To his team, he's the leader they need for motivation and support." _

He dribbled faster and attempted to break Sasuke's defense. _"Therefore, without him, the team won't be able to give their best." _Gaara stopped and jumped, which caused Sasuke to curse as he too, jumped and raised his hand to block Gaara, hoping that the ball would go off course. "Shit, Uchiha!" He cursed when he attempted a lay-up shot. It went in, but at the same time, he had hit Sasuke from exerting too much force in leaning forward, causing both team captains to collapse on the ground with a hard thud.

* * *

"You see, I should've picked one of the seniors, but when I asked them about it, they refused the job, saying that they won't do well." Lee said as Sakura listened intently. "And just when I lost hope, I witnessed Sasuke taking responsibility as temporary captain, since I forgot to assign one. My fellow juniors, who're seniors now, weren't done with their extension classes, and after seeing how Sasuke did a good job in keeping the team's working condition, as well as cooperation, I decided to have him as a candidate." 

"Candidate..?"

"Yes, I didn't want to choose him automatically without the rest of the team's consent, and I wanted to see the rest of the traits a leader must possess." He smiled slightly. "Based from gang fights, I got to know him better, and after assigning random people to play as the captain, Kabuto and the others were rooting for Sasuke." He turned to her. "Do you know why?" she shook her head. "Well, we weren't present at that time, but Sound came in for a fight, wanting to close down the team since we were too much of a threat to them." He sighed. "Zaku had hit the team so many times too, but Sasuke kept telling them not to fight back, actually, he was saying it to Naruto," he laughed at this. "Well, at one point, Zaku went too far, and it was when he used the basketballs to bully the freshmen. That was when Sasuke couldn't take it anymore, and he blocked the hits for those kids, at the same time, threw a ball at Zaku's face."

"…" Sakura didn't know whether she'd laugh or not.

"Sarutobi-sensei had talked to the whole team, including Zabuza-sensei, telling them that the basketball team will be suspended for a year, but…" he stopped and sighed then gave a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure you know what Sasuke did."

She looked down and smiled. "He took the blame and punishment." Lee nodded. "Of course, the team didn't want that, and Sarutobi-sensei was shocked when they all tried to take the blame, that he let it go as a matter of self-defense, and to of course, prevent the first years from getting hurt." He sighed. "I believe that it was then that Zabuza-sensei had agreed in choosing Sasuke as my replacement. Although, Sasuke tried to decline it, but the whole team insisted on it, and well, he just accepted it in the end."

"I remember that time…" Shikamaru cut in. "I was watching the clouds and he just joined me all of a sudden." He smirked. "Troublesome guy, suddenly turned emo on me when he said that he'd do anything to protect the team, to support them, and to keep them in shape. He swore to bring them to the top, and I guess, well, I was a sucker for accepting the job of vice-captain when he asked if I would take the job, since Lee had picked me to assist him." He laughed lightly. "But yeah, it was his words that convinced me to take the job, but he didn't force me, he just… sort of, influenced me."

Sakura turned to Sasuke, seeing how Sai and the rest gathered around him to help him up, asking if he was okay. "Plus the fact that he leaves a great impact on them." Lee added and turned to Sakura. "That's why he's still playing there. He knows he'll get sicker if he does, but he's willing to take that risk to play with the team, to be with the team." He closed his eyes and smiled. "And that's what a captain should be, to always be there for the team, no matter what."

"Very cheesy." Zabuza commented as Lee gave a shocked look and twitched as Zabuza continued speaking. "Sasuke isn't just there to play for the team, he's there to show Gaara that he can beat him, if you ask me, it's still because Gaara is his rival, that's the reason why he's still playing."

"B-but sensei! You have to admit that Sasuke is also playing to be there for his team!"

"Lee…" Zabuza turned to him. "I often wonder how you became team captain." He said, and that sure felt like a huge arrow just shot him after his former coach's words, causing Sakura and Shikamaru to sweat drop. "Still though," Zabuza added. "I know Sasuke," he narrowed his eyes at the boy who stood up and wiped the blood from his lip away with his arm as he glared at Gaara who glared back with gritted teeth. "He knows that no one, not even Naruto, has enough guts to bring Gaara down, and for that, he's worried that the team might be overcome with fear of the red-head, especially with his reputation as a 'destroyer' of teamwork," he turned to Lee. "He's known for adding salt to injury, and Sasuke believes that he's the only one who can take that pain away from his team, as well as endure it for his team." Zabuza watched as Naruto dribbled the ball and passed it to Sasuke who charged towards Gaara. "Because of that, he refuses to let a fever to prevent him from winning this fight. His mind is already made up." Sasuke threw the ball on the floor to Gaara's right as he ran left and took back the object, having Gaara widen his eyes as he turned to see Sasuke jump for a shot. "That's what makes him a good captain."

"I see…" Sakura said, watching Sasuke play and give it his all. _"Sasuke no baka…" _she smiled and got up. "From the looks of things, I think I need to buy more water for the team." She said. "But Sakura, we have too much already." Hinata spoke. The pink-haired teen only gave a smile. "It won't be enough as soon as the game comes to its climax, not to mention," she glanced at Sasuke and smiled once again. "I think I have to apologize to someone for not understanding his situation." And she left.

* * *

He panted. They've been playing for so long, and all the members have already had their chance in the court. _"Unfortunately, the freshmen still need to work on their stamina." _He thought, eyeing them as they all drank and panted while seated on the benches provided. _"Kabuto is at his limit after going against that guy…" _he eyed one player from Sand. _"He's too fast for him, plus, Morino just had to sprain his ankle, Dartan and Jiro have already been at it since the start of the second half." _He took a deep breathe in and relaxed a bit. _"If only I didn't have this fever, I'd still be able to go on." _He opened his eyes, trying to get rid of the dizziness he suddenly felt. _"Gaara's still up and running, this isn't good." _He checked the timer. _"We're in the lead, but only for five points, and there's still six minutes left." _He narrowed his eyes. _"There's still a chance for Sand to catch up for a tie, or worse, win against us." _He cursed and racked his brain for a strategy. _"Shit. I can't think clearly."_ He looked at his team. _"Sai's almost worn out, I can't blame him, he's been playing since the beginning, and he refuses to rest. Same goes for Naruto, but he still looks like he's ready for more."_

Sasuke turned his head to their sharp shooter and fast player. _"Shino's breathing is still even, although from his posture, it looks like he's about to collapse as well. Kiba's still in good shape, but his speed is decreasing." _He eyed Shikamaru who stood up, having rested enough for another round. "Sai," the rookie turned to Sasuke. "Thanks for your help, but it's time for Shikamaru to take your place." He smirked, an idea suddenly forming in his head as Sai looked at him for a while. "I need Shikamaru for the next game plan."

The said vice captain stopped to look at Sasuke, seeing his eye signal that he smirked and gave a nod. "I was waiting for you to do that, I've been itching to put it to the test." He said, stretching his arms as Sai soon sat down and thanked Hinata for the offered water bottle.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "So, what's the plan?" Shikamaru smirked. "It's supposed to be reserved for a motocross race, but right now would be a good time to use it." He eyed his fellow S7 members. "Here's what we'll have to do…"

Again, the sound of the whistle was heard and the game commenced once again as Shikamaru waited for the right time before passing it to Shino, who quickly ran to the three-point line. Having guessed that this would happen, Gaara turned to Kankuro who then rushed to Shino to block. The sharp shooter of the team smirked and made a pass from behind him, letting Kiba catch it when the speed demon of the group jumped to attempt a three-point shot. Another player intercepted by jumping to block Kiba's view.

Shikamaru had to smirk. _"In motocross, Shino would pretend to take the lead, but as soon as an enemy comes close, he'd corner that person to clear Kiba's path. But then, Kiba won't really be taking the lead, it's just another distraction." _He sighed and shook his head at the stupidity of some people. _"Humans always think that the person in the lead is aiming to win, in basketball, players always conclude that the one who has the ball will score, that's a selfish thought."_

"Sucker." Kiba muttered, showing his teeth when he smirked and dropped the ball on the ground. But before it reached the gym's floor, Naruto caught it and dribbled all the way towards the basket, causing Gaara to tell one player to stop him. The blonde skidded to a halt and made a fake jump, to which the opponent fell for. He grinned and jumped again, ready to shoot when another player came up from behind. Sensing this, he pulled his arms down and tossed the ball to Sasuke, nearly missing his aim but thanks to his best friend's fast reflexes, the Uchiha teen managed to catch it. Sasuke then jumped, and Gaara did as well, but his form was wrong, and Gaara wondered why.

"_Another wrong judgment, just because Sasuke is the team captain and ace, doesn't mean he always scores for the team. And just because Naruto's the gang leader, doesn't automatically say that he steals the spotlight." _Shikamaru then ran. _"In motocross, Naruto would then take the lead as soon as Kiba distracts one more opponent, leaving the path open for Sasuke and Naruto to run to. When in truth, they're only playing the part of confusion, and that the actual scorer is…"_

"Ike, Shikamaru!!" Naruto yelled when the vice-captain jumped in the air as Sasuke shot the ball; Gaara's finger slightly touching it but the lazy-genius managed to grab it in mid-air and gave a slam dunk, earning two more points for his team. The red-haired team captain had his eyes wide as he heard the buzzer sound and end the game. He panted for a while before looking at Sasuke who was also panting but smirking. "I'm not the only star of this team, Sabaku."

"…_me, Nara Shikamaru." _He smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow. _"When it comes to human psychology, expect Sasuke and my strategies to be a sure winner." _He turned to Sasuke. _"Right..? Captain…" _

"Yatta! We won!" Naruto yelled as the crowd cheered for Konoha. Gaara closed his eyes and smirked, then turned to Sasuke. "You win this time, Uchiha." He offered a handshake as Sasuke took it. "But next time, I won't be defeated." He said with a determined look. Sasuke smirked and lowered his eyelids as they let go. "Yeah, maybe next time, you'll win." Gaara noted the look in his eyes, but he wasn't sure what it was, what he was certain about though, was that he had this gut feeling that the next time may never even come. _"Uchiha…" _Sasuke turned to his team when they called him as Zabuza congratulated each one of them. _"…keep growing stronger, and you may just make it."_

Their celebration was cut short when Sasuke noticed that Sakura wasn't present. "Hinata," she looked at him and blinked. "Where's Sakura?"

* * *

"_..?" _she slowly opened her eyes and blinked, adjusting her vision so that she can get a clearer view of her surroundings. _"Snow..?" _she thought, feeling the cold winter air. "Looks like you're awake." Her eyes widened upon hearing that voice. She knew that voice very well, and it belonged to the first guy she ever punched. "Zaku…" she glared at the man who smirked and had his arms crossed. Behind him were his buddies from Sound, or at least, some of his buddies, unless that's all the friends Zaku has. "Allow me to introduce my friends," he turned to the six men behind him. "Dosu, Sakon, and his twin brother, Ukon, then we have Kimimaro, Jirobo and Kidomaru." He turned back to her. "And I know that you know me." 

"Feh, who wouldn't?" she said with a glare. "With that ugly-looking face of yours, everyone should know who you are to stay clear from you!" Zaku glared at the twins who snorted, trying to suppress their laughter. "Be thankful I still need you _alive_." He hissed, but Sakura didn't seem too scared and just raised a brow causally. Zaku twitched. "Hm, you may be brave now, but we'll see how brave you will be later." He smirked and turned his back to her, his friends following as they left her there out in the falling snow, but then, they were also under it. _"If I catch a cold, I'll never hear the end of it from that neko…" _she thought, picturing Sasuke scolding her for staying out in the snow with only her uniform on. _"Wait a minute… those Sound idiots didn't even tie me! That means…" _she shook her head. _"Stupid idiots…" _and she discreetly left the abandoned construction sight.

"Where do you think you're going?" she stopped and looked to see two girls standing there, blocking her path. From the uniforms they wore, she knew they were also from Sound. "Err… home?" the two girls smirked. "Oi, Zaku, you fucking forgot to tie the bitch up!" Sakura twitched in annoyance. "What did you just call me?!" she yelled at the dark-pink haired teen who looked at her with a glare. "Shut the fuck up." She muttered. "Tayuya, be _nice_…" the guy named Kimimaro said, wrapping one arm around her shoulder from behind. "Or you won't get _any _tonight." He said, sounding seductive to the foul-mouthed girl, but to Sakura, it sounded too disgusting.

Zaku turned to the twins who raised their hands up in defense. "Sorry, we didn't think she'd wake up soon." Sakon said. "Yeah, I mean, she looked pretty out cold to me." Ukon added. Zaku slapped a hand on his forehead. "Just tie her up!" he yelled as the twins immediately did, not really wanting to get into a verbal fight with Zaku, since Kimimaro would most probably tell them to stop. Sakura felt the ropes bound her wrists together from behind, but she didn't make a move to struggle, just stood there, glaring at the stupidity of the Sound students.

"So, how do we get him here anyway? I'm pretty sure he has no idea where this girl is." Kidomaru suddenly said, turning to Zaku who smirked and took out his phone. "Leave it to me." And he dialed a number.

* * *

"Tch. Where the hell are you gaki?" he asked, running around under the falling snow, not really minding Naruto's protests of his condition worsening if he ran under the dark sky. The rest also started searching, but they had jackets on and changed into pants and were split into pairs. He, on the other hand, couldn't care less, he just wanted to look for her, and hope that she's safe. _"Damn it, those Sound bastards were there earlier, and when Sakura was gone, they were gone too…" _he cursed, stopping to answer his phone after hearing it ring. He only noticed that he brought it with him by hand, since his jersey didn't have any pockets, neither did the jacket he had on for their team. 

"Hello?" he answered, softly panting as he tried to catch his breath. "Uchiha…" his eyes widened and narrowed. He formed a glare when he recognized that voice. "We have her Uchiha, and if you want her safe and _untouched_, you had better come here alone. I'm sure you know where our last brawl was…" The line went dead, and he clutched his phone tighter, having a feeling that he'll be buying another new one once this is over. _"Zaku, I'll kill you…" _he thought and he heard a crack, next, he started to run to where he had last fought with Sound, along with his friends. But this time, he was charging towards the battlefield, alone, leaving behind his now useless cell phone, or what's left of it, buried under the snow, ignoring the blood that flowed from his right hand from the grip he had on the gadget a while ago. _"I swear, I'll kill you..." _

He passed by so many empty streets before he arrived at the scene, slowing his pace as he walked calmly towards where he's expecting the bastards are waiting. He stopped when he saw them a few feet away from him, and his glare only darkened when he saw Sakura's hands tied behind her back, and with Sakon holding her from behind, and he did not like how he held her still. "I knew you'd do what I say when it involves your little cherry amore here." He said in a mocking tone, which caused Sasuke to clench his fists tight, his right palm bleeding some more due to the small cuts he got from the tiny but sharp objects of his phone.

Zaku looked at the crimson liquid that dropped on the white ground, his blood mixing with the ice as Sasuke continued glaring at them with as much hatred and homicidal intent as he could muster. It's been a long time since he last looked like this, and that was when Kiba almost died of blood loss after their gang fight against Mizu High. Hell, the whole of S7 nearly slaughtered those students who were responsible fro Kiba's near-to-death experience. Even Lee had turned murderous back then.

The Sound student tried to shake away that feeling of fear that tingled down his spine when he got trapped into staring into Sasuke's dark and seemingly red with anger eyes. Something about those eyes gave him a feeling of being marked and locked down as the first target on the Uchiha's list, but he had to keep his cool. Sasuke was alone, and they had Sakura captive, so they had an advantage, whereas Sasuke had a lot of disadvantage right now. "You might want to get rid of your urge to kill, or else," he gave a nod to Ukon who took a knife out and threatened to slit Sakura's throat with it. Sakon whistled in awe at the blade. "Aww, come on Zaku, why would we let a pretty girl like her go to waste? Why can't we have fun with her first?"

Sasuke's eyes widen slightly before narrowing down to a death glare and attempting to charge at Sakon for the comment, but Ukon pressed the blade onto Sakura's lower neck, letting a shallow cut appear as blood oozed out. Sasuke stopped, seeing how Sakura shut her eyes tight. Even if the cut was only small and not so deep, he was sure that it hurt her. "Make one more move, and she'll get more than just a cut," Ukon said, nearing her head near Sakura's as he breathed onto her neck, making her shake with fear as she kept her eyes on the ground, not really wanting to see the others. "What do you want..?" Sasuke asked, his voice too low, that it made him unrecognizable to Sakura.

"I want you to stay perfectly still, while we beat the crap out of you after what you and your pals did to us." Zaku said, cracking his knuckles. "Ukon, Sakon, hold her down for a while, once we're through, you can have fun in beating him up, got it?" the twins nodded, looking forward to punching the Uchiha. "In the meantime…" Sasuke remained impassive even when Zaku and the others started to punch and kick him non-stop.

He coughed out blood but still tried to stand up, spitting out the metallic taste of it as he still remained glaring at the Sound students, his eyes never left Sakura, he wanted to make sure that they wouldn't do anything to her. He didn't care if he had to get beaten continuously, just as long as they won't touch her. _"Who am I kidding? The sooner they're through with me, the sooner they'll do something to her…" _that thought alone made him fight to stay awake and still standing, ignoring the pissed off look of the others who were expecting him to already lose consciousness by now.

"Stop it…" Sakura whispered, trying to look away but couldn't, since Sakon had made sure she was watching the scene before her. "Stop it…" she could hear the hard attacks that Sasuke had to endure, she could see the blood stained ground, all of which came from him, and she could somehow feel his pain, though not physically, but her heart clenched from the sight, the sound, and the smell of his blood. Her mind willed her to close her eyes, but she didn't want to, for fear that if she did, he may be gone the moment she opens her irises again. "Stop." She said more firmly, but it was still too soft, and again and again, the one she calls neko kept getting hurt, just like a defenseless cat would look when it is surrounded by a lot of bigger cats, or worse, vicious dogs.

"STOP IT!!" She yelled as loud as she could, and the male Sound students, minus the twins, stopped and looked at her. Tears mixed with the falling snow as she cried, eyeing Sasuke as he struggled to get up from the cold and blood-stained ground. "Please, stop it!" she said again. "Stop hurting him! I'll do anything, just don't do this to him!" she yelled. Sasuke's eyes widened as he jerked his head up at her with a "Are you stupid?!" look but she ignored it and continued pleading the rest of the Sound students.

"Anything..?"

She turned to Sasuke then back to Zaku and gave a nod. "Just… don't hurt him…"

Zaku smirked. "Come to think of it, emotional pain _is _better than physical pain, right guys?" his gang laughed and agreed as Zaku approached Sakura, not minding how Sasuke glared and told him to back off. What the Oto student did next made both his and Sakura's eyes widen, especially when Zaku pulled her to an embrace to prevent her from breaking the kiss.

"_W-what is this..?" _she thought, her heart beating fast from fear. _"Stop it…" _she thought and shut her eyes as she pulled her head away and yelled but Zaku kept his arm around her waist, while his other hand held her chin in place, forcing her to open her mouth as he inserted his tongue. Her eyes widened, feeling so disgusted and what's worse is, the rest of the students from Sound held Sasuke down and made him watch the whole thing. She felt something weird, she felt like she betrayed him, even if she didn't really want this to happen. _"Gome, Sasuke-kun…" _she cried and tried to pull away, unfortunately, the guy just won't let her go. _"Let go! Let go of me!" _she yelled at him in her mind.

"…let her go…" Sasuke whispered, head lowered slightly as his bangs shadowed his eyes. "…let her go." He repeated, a little louder. Zaku pulled away and smirked at him. "Or what?" Dosu looked down at Sasuke when he felt the teen tremble, from what he heard from Mizu High students, this sign was not good, especially if it came from Sasuke, Neji, Naruto or Lee. They were the four most dangerous guys in S7 that you wouldn't want to mess with. "Zaku, that's enough, we have to go!" he warned. The rest turned to Dosu and Zaku only laughed. "Why are you so scared Dosu? He's alone, and we have his little girlfriend here, so he won't be able to do anything." His hold on Sakura tightened and she cried in protest, which led to Kidomaru, who was holding Sasuke's left arm down, to scream in agony.

They turned, and were shocked to see Kidomaru holding onto his right elbow, and it was bleeding. The guys who were near him were startled. "W-what the fuck?!" Sakon yelled, seeing Kidomaru's bone out in the open, his elbow was bent on the wrong side, and blood flowed freely, sputtering out from it. They turned to Jirobo when he cursed loudly, and they saw his leg fractured, and the one responsible for both Kidomaru and Jirobo's pain.

"_Uchiha Sasuke…" _Kimimaro thought as sweat dripped down from his forehead. _"What exactly are you..?" _he thought.

Despite the teen being beaten up and covered in blood, he still remained standing, and from the looks of it, numbers didn't count right now when he's going to fight alone. "I'll tell you one more time…" he said, turning to Zaku, his eyes having a red glint in them. "Let her go." Zaku didn't. "No..?" Sasuke then raised his arm and punched Dosu, who was nearer, afterwards ran towards the others, returning the same pain they caused him, except it was twice the agony, since bones could be heard cracking.

"Sa…su…ke…kun…" Sakura stared with wide eyes, she was aware of the fact that the rest couldn't react fast due to fear, and Sasuke used this to his advantage. What made her scared was that he was smirking, looking as if he was enjoying the screams of these people. "W-what the hell are you?! You- you monster..!" Zaku yelled, letting Sakura go as he staggered backwards when Sasuke turned his attention to him. "Monster..?" he repeated and smirked wickedly. "You wouldn't call me a monster once I'm through with you." Zaku heard a crack of a knuckle, and he slowly turned behind him to see Naruto and the rest of S7 with a wicked smirk. "Payback time…"

"AGH!!!!" Zaku yelled.

Sasuke fell to his knees and held onto his head, fighting to stay awake as he slowly looked up at Zaku being beaten by his friends. _"Hn, at least they made it in time before he could get Sakura…" _he looked at her to see her staring back at him with wide eyes. He smirked slightly. "Baka…" and he fell onto the snow-covered ground, unconscious. It took Sakura a few seconds to snap from her dazed look before running towards him and trying to shake him awake. "Sasuke..?" she continued shaking him as S7, and Hinata – who just arrived with Zabuza, ran towards them.

* * *

"Coach, must we go on..?" Kiba whined. Zabuza narrowed his eyes at him. "Keep practicing." 

"But-but… we won against Sand!" Naruto countered. "And Sasuke's in the hospital! Why don't we just visit him as a team?"

Zabuza twitched and braced himself to yell. "Shut your trap Uzumaki and continue practicing!" he felt satisfied when the two complaining teens shut up and went on with their play. _"Besides," _he looked outside of the door. _"Sakura's there on behalf of the whole team, while Neji and Lee, along with Ten-Ten, are there with her."_

* * *

"I still don't get why you have to buy him _that_." Neji said, eyeing the big paper bag that Sakura was carrying. She giggled. "That's okay Neji-sempai, it's not like you really need to know." He sweat dropped and sighed. "Really, you guys are like… too lovey-dovey…" Sakura blushed and laughed nervously. "Um, no we're not, I mean, we're not even-" she cut herself off when she almost blew their cover. "-that much of a er… lovey-dovey couple." 

"Really now..?" Ten-Ten asked with a raised brow and a smile. "Don't look at me like that Ten! What about you and Neji-sempai huh?" the mentioned two blushed and glanced at each other before looking away. Lee laughed. "Seriously, people have already started thinking you two are together."

"What?!" they both said as Lee and Sakura laughed. "Anyway, room 328…" Lee murmured, looking at the doors they passed. "Here we are!" he declared as he was about to open the door but stopped when they heard voices from behind it.

"Sempai..?" Sakura asked with a tilt of her head. "Looks like Sasuke's got company right now." He said. Neji raised a brow. "Like who?" the thick-browed man shrugged. "Only one way to find out." Ten-Ten said, attempting to open the door. What greeted them wasn't what they were expecting, but Sakura sort of had a feeling she'd see something like this.

* * *

"Nii-chan! How are we going to play this Saturday?! You're in bed!" 

Sasuke sweat dropped and smiled slightly. "This is nothing Kishiro, it's not like I'm going to stay here until that day." The small boy pouted and looked away. "But nii-chan…" the teen patted his head. "I'll be out by Friday at the latest, okay? I'll still be able to watch your game."

"Yeah, but we want you to be the one to coach us!" another said. "Not Ebisu-sensei…"

Sasuke gave a smile. "Shiro, don't say that." The three boys looked up when the door opened. "Um… are we interrupting anything?" Lee asked with a sheepish smile. The two kids blinked then looked at Sakura and beamed. "Sakura-nechan!" they cried out in joy and ran towards her as she bent down to greet them. "Hey Shiro, Kishiro, I had a feeling you two would be here." They smiled again. "Ne-chan, are you here to see nii-chan?" Shiro asked as Kishiro pulled her. "Come on ne-chan! Let's go!" he said, Shiro also pulling her to Sasuke as they both looked at each other before turning the other way.

"Nii-chan! Look! Your girlfriend brought you something!" Shiro cried, jumping up and down as Sasuke glanced at Sakura who looked down. "…Um…" she shifted a bit as Lee, Neji and Ten-Ten took this as a sign to leave and come back later. Shiro and Kishiro blinked at her, waiting for her to say something. The door opened again as the woman Sakura met before came in. "Kishiro, your father's here to pick us up, Shiro, your mom asked us to drop you off at your house." The two pouted and whined. "But ka-san! We want to stay a little longer!" Kishiro's mother smiled. "We should let your Sasuke-niisan rest, besides," she looked at Sakura who bowed a bit to her as a sign of respect. "His girlfriend is here, we should leave them alone right now."

"But…" Kishiro looked up when Sasuke placed a hand on his head and ruffled it slightly as he smiled. "Why don't you come back tomorrow, with the rest of your friends, how's that?" Kishiro smiled slightly and nodded. Shiro then turned to Sasuke. "Nii-chan, you better be the one to coach us…" Sasuke laughed and patted the boy's head. "I will okay?" the two kids then bid them goodbye as they ran to Kishiro's mom, leaving the two alone in awkward silence.

Sakura turned back to him, her face slightly red as she gave a small smile. "Are you… feeling well now?" she asked. Sasuke turned to him and returned the smile. "Aa." She pulled a chair and sat down by his bedside, taking out what was inside the bag. "I was supposed to buy a blowfish, since you call me that, but I couldn't find one, so I just bought this." He looked at the white rabbit in her hands, two red ribbons acting as bows clipped onto both ears, making its long ears look like pigtails. She grinned. "Hinata-chan said you often referred me as a bunny, since I'm pretty hyper, bouncy and giddy most of the time."

Sasuke looked at her then at the rabbit when she pushed it into his hands. He looked down at it and smiled a bit. "It's cute." He whispered. Sakura didn't know why she blushed when he did that. His smile was small but his look was gentle, somehow, whatever side he showed, it always affected her a lot, and she still doesn't know why. "Yeah, cute…" she murmured, looking at him.

"Hm..?" he looked at her, blinking as she blushed a deeper shade of red and shook her head, laughing nervously. "T-the rabbit! It's really cute!" he tilted his head slightly, and it made her face even redder. _"Shit! Stop doing that!" _she fumbled with the paper bag and took out a black cat with a blue collar around it, a round bell attached as well. "I got this for me, you see, that rabbit will remind you of me whenever you feel sad or whenever you want to have someone by your side. If I can't be there, that rabbit will represent as me, while this cat will be you."

He looked down. "I see…" his eyes half-closed. _"Ironic, the timing is just… right…" _she wondered why he suddenly turned silent. "Neko..?"

"Why did you do that?" he asked. "Why did you have to sacrifice yourself to Zaku?"

"You were getting beaten-"

"I was getting beaten up for the purpose of them not taking you!" he yelled, looking at her with narrowed eyes. "Don't you get it? Sound is known for a lot of things! They're notorious, they're bad influences and they can claim you anytime they get a chance! What you just did the last time was already an opportunity for them to take you!" she was alarmed at his outburst. "Baka…" he continued. "Hontou ni Baka."

"Gome…" Sakura whispered, looking down. "But I… didn't want to see them beating you up like that…" she lowered her head even more to hide her eyes from him. "I…" she looked up at him and he was taken aback when she was already crying. "I really care for you Sasuke! I don't want to see you getting hurt because of me! Look at where it got you right now!" he had a bandage wrapped around his head, another on his right cheek, arms, right hand, and underneath the clothing he wore right now. "I was… scared of what else they could to you…" she hiccupped and he didn't take that as a good sign. "Gaki." He murmured. "You keep forgetting how much I can endure."

"Baka!" she yelled, standing up. "Stop being so insensitive of what I feel! It really hurts to see you like that right now, knowing that I'm the cause of it!"

"Insensitive, huh..?" he repeated. "You're the one who's like that, whenever I try to tell you something that I really mean, you dismiss it as a joke." He said, looking at her. "And I keep playing along just so that you wouldn't feel awkward. Damn it Sakura, there's a limit to how much I can take that."

The door opened, interrupting their conversation as Lee smiled slightly. "Um, Sakura-san..? The nurse said that visiting hours are over."

She sighed and nodded then turned to Sasuke. "I'll… see you around…" she hesitated at first, before kissing his forehead lightly and leaving him in the room as Lee grinned. "I guess Neji was right! You two are always acting lovey-dovey around each other!" Sasuke looked down. _"No wonder…" _he thought, touching his forehead with his fingers as he closed his eyes. _"When can I say it anyway?" _he asked himself. _"It's only worsening whenever we pretend…"_

* * *

When he was finally released from the hospital, they didn't really talk to each other when necessary, and others began to wonder what had happened. S7 would ask him but he wouldn't answer and just ignore them. They ask Sakura but she'll just shrug and walk away. Everything was pretty confusing, and Naruto had to bang his head against the wall to keep from yelling in frustration. 

"I've had it!" he yelled as everyone turned to him. "You two are driving me nuts! You're driving everyone nuts!" he pointed at Sasuke and Sakura. "I want you two to talk, right now!" he ordered. The two looked at each other and sighed. "Hi." They both said and it only angered Naruto even more. "Stop it guys! What the heck is wrong anyway?!" Zabuza, for once, agreed and looked at the two.

"Nothing, we just don't have anything to talk about." Sasuke answered. "Yeah but, that's not a reason for you to not flirt or tease or… gah! Teme!" Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto and shrugged. "Damn it! Sakura, you'd better come up with a better excuse!" he said. Sakura shook her head a bit before looking at him, seeing how his blue eyes were irritated; she decided to stop this stupid game already. "We're kind of… arguing right now…" she muttered.

"Why?" Shino asked out of the blue.

"Blame him, he just started-" Sasuke cut her off.

"Me? You're the one who gave in to Zaku!"

"Yeah but it was to just stop them from beating you up!"

"What makes you think they will once they're done with you?!"

"They said so!"

"They're from Sound baka!"

"Don't call me a baka, you baka!"

He twitched. "What did you just call me?!"

Naruto threw the ball, hard, on the gym floor, making them turn to him. "You fight for the stupidest reasons." He muttered. "Sakura, what Sasuke said is true, what made you think they will? And Sasuke, just recognize the fact that Sakura did it for you." He smiled slightly. "You two are really impossible you know? Despite fighting with each other, you do so because you only care, why don't you just stop letting that feeling out through anger and instead, forget about it and just… move on? That's what you said when teme and I fought, right Sakura?"

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered. "It's not as easy as you think."

* * *

The fourth sign, a ring. It was quartz too, and she wondered why Sai just couldn't stop. "Sai…" he looked at her when he was about to leave. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way as you do." He tilted his head in confusion and she showed him the ring. He whistled in awe. "That's a pretty expensive ring, who gave it to you?" he asked, and she nearly fainted, since Sai was clueless about this and the rest of the gifts or signs she's gotten, it led her to sit there, in front of Sasuke, in his apartment, as he had his arms crossed and looking elsewhere. "This is getting out of hand…" she whispered, looking down. He eyed her for a while before sighing and taking a seat next to her. 

"Anyone else you have in mind?" he asked. She shook her head and fingered the ring. "I don't exactly want to throw it away, it's pretty expensive, and…" she looked down. "I'm getting scared…" she whispered but he heard it, causing him to look at her. "What should I do?"

"Where did you find it?"

"In my pocket, and I have no idea how it got there." She absent-mindedly leaned her head on his shoulder but he didn't pull away and just remained still, as if what she did was normal. "Just ignore it, it'll stop soon." She looked at him. "Trust me, it will eventually cease." She closed her eyes and had one of her hands look for his, holding onto it as he responded by intertwining his fingers with hers. "Sakura..?"

"Hm..?"

"The dance is coming up." He said. "We still don't have a song."

"I have one, but I think you won't be happy about it."

"Why?"

"I have a feeling that guys like you won't go for boy band songs." She grinned as he blinked. "Ever heard of N'Sync?"

* * *

"Are you kidding me?!" Naruto asked as the rest of S7 gaped at them. Hinata and Sakura were giggling in the background. "Look, I'm only singing this for the sake of singing on the day of the dance. Besides, the lyrics seem safe." Kiba snorted. "Fine, fine, you're the one who's singing it anyway." Sasuke turned to Sakura. "Oi, gaki, come on." She nodded and walked over to him as he handed her a wireless mic. "Wow Shino, I had no idea your father owned the famous recording studio in Japan." She said, turning to the boy who just gave a shrug. "Our family's been interested in music for a long time." 

Lee and Kiba were outside to adjust the sound system as the rest were inside. "Alright, let's try it." Naruto sighed and started with the drums as Neji played on the guitar with Shino and Sasuke starting the first lines.

_When the visions around you  
Bring tears to your eyes  
And all that surrounds you  
Are secret and lies._

_I'll be your strength,  
I'll give you hope,  
Keeping your faith when it's gone  
The one you should call,  
Was standing here all along..._

Sasuke had to reflect on the lyrics. _"Funny, I wonder why it relates to me in some way…" _he thought sarcastically.

_And I will take  
You in my arms  
And hold you right where you belong_  
'_Till the day my life is through  
This I promise you  
This I promise you_

Sakura then started to sing the next stanza.

_I've loved you forever,  
In lifetimes before  
And I promise you never  
Will you hurt anymore…_

_I give you my word  
I give you my heart _

Sasuke entered as a second voice. "Give you my heart…" and Sakura continued:

_This is a battle we've won  
And with this vow,  
Forever has now begun..._

They finished the song as Naruto asked them how they'll perform it. "You'll just have to wait for that." Sasuke said, stepping out of the recording room with the rest of the gang. "Come on, your mom asked me to take you home." Sasuke said, turning to Sakura who nodded as they left the studio. "Ne, ne, who're you going to ask to the dance?" She asked, skipping a few steps ahead of him as he walked in a normal pace, not looking at her when he responded. "I don't know." He shrugged. She blinked and narrowed her eyes slightly. "No fair…" he smirked. "Sheesh, it's pretty obvious I'm gonna ask you anyway." He said. "Yeah, but you could've at least made it more… I don't know, something that's worth remembering?!"

Sasuke raised a brow. "Is that necessary?" she twitched and looked away. "Never mind." And she walked ahead of him. He sweat dropped as she entered her house after bidding him a goodbye. Sighing, he checked his watch to see that it was still a bit early, so he can still plan a few things for the rest of the day. _"Yeah, a music proposal isn't so bad, but it's too grand…" _he stopped walking and looked up in the sky, afterwards, smirked. _"Why not..?" _he thought when an idea popped into his head. Yep, it would surely give Sakura an experience worth remembering.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 13: Affection_

Her breathing was fast, but she didn't seem to care. She just let him kiss her, and she would return it, as if that kiss told him that she loved him, so much, too much. _"I can't stop…" _she thought when he pushed their bodies on his bed, still not parting from their lip lock. _"I can't push him away…" _she didn't want to; she knew that, she just felt so right while they kissed and touched. She only encouraged him when she wrapped her arms around his neck when his lips touched her neck, nipping at it gently, not wanting to hurt her, because he was scared that she'd push him away, even if she didn't show any signs of rejection or hesitation. _"What am I doing?" _he thought, wanting to stop himself, but found that he couldn't. _"I can't do this to her, I just can't."_ he pulled away when she moaned, shock hitting him when he just realized that he had come back to his senses.

* * *

_A/N: What's Sasuke planning? And from the preview, what led them to that state? Definitely not alcohol if that's what you're thinking. The much awaited dance is coming up! Will Sasuke have to guts to confess there or not? Most importantly, if he does, will Sakura even take it seriously or dismiss it as another joke? Find out soon!_


	13. Affection

_A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. I would've posted this by the end of September since it was done but our internet got cut off. So, sorry! I still don't have internet though, I'm in my brother's office using his laptop to update this chapter. So don't expect another update soon. I just finished my exams._

* * *

**Ironies of Life**

The phone rang and Kasumi quickly picked it up when her daughter went inside the kitchen for a glass of water. "Hello." She answered in a chipper tone. Her smile only grew when the person on the other line answered. "When will you ever cease to amaze me? Sure, I'll help." She hung up soon after and went to the kitchen, giggling all the while.

Sakura raised a brow when she spotted her mother having giggling fits. "Err… are you okay?"

"Yes dear." She replied, opening the fridge and suddenly gasped. "We're out of milk?" she asked, turning to Sakura who shrugged and finished her glass of water. "I needed it for today's dinner…" she muttered under her breath before sighing and turning to Sakura. "Do you mind running to the grocery store and buy one for me?" she asked, taking her wallet out of the pocket of her jeans and pulling out the right amount of money. "Nope." Sakura said, taking the money and running out of their home as she walked briskly towards the direction of the store.

She sighed when she was halfway there. _"Sasuke no baka… I was expecting him to ask me. Looks like I'll be going there dateless." _she sighed again, not noticing the black car that was following her every move. "Damn." She muttered before yelling in surprise when someone pulled her into the car. All the while, she screamed but it was muffled when the guy's hand covered her mouth. _"Who are these people and what do they want from me?!" _she thought, eyes looking at the men who were in the car. They were all wearing black shirts and dark blue jeans, and they had black beanies covering the top of their heads, plus really dark shades. Not to mention, it was night time, so it was harder to see their appearances.

"Call Uchiha." One said, voice deep and Sakura's eyes widened. _"Are they kidnapping me for ransom against Sasuke's family?? Or are these guys another gang from other schools who wants to get even?!" _after recalling what happened to her when Sound took her, she wanted to bang her head on the wall. _"Why am I always the damsel in distress?! Damn you Uchiha!!" _

His phone rang and he answered it, cursing first for not being able to put his top on first. It was cold too. "Hello?" he narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard a few shuffles going on. "Alright, I'll be there." And he hung up, got dressed, and ran out of his apartment after making sure Ame had some food on its bowl. "The things I do for that gaki." He sighed and put on his helmet before starting the ignition of his motor bike and heading towards the said place. _"I just hope she's not having a heart attack…" _he smirked at the thought.

* * *

_**Chapter 13: Affection**_

When she was pulled out of the car, she was already blindfolded, which prevented her from seeing where they took her. With a groan, she followed silently when they held her shoulders firmly, making sure she wouldn't escape. Aside from that, her wrists were bound behind her back, so she had to grumble at that. "Don't try anything funny." One said, pushing her lightly inside a room, she guessed. She felt someone grab her arm in a gentle manner, and she figured it was a girl since the feeling of the hand was soft, like a female's. _"What the heck is going on?" _She blushed when she felt someone remove her clothing. "H-hey! Wait a minute I-"

"Shh. Don't worry, those guys aren't in here." A girl said, apparently, the one who was undressing her and putting on something else. Sakura tried to guess what it was, and decided that it was a spaghetti-strapped dress, the hem ending on her knees. Her hands were once again tied, and she cursed herself for not removing the blindfold earlier when she had the chance. Next, she felt herself being led somewhere else, and when the girl whispered to close her eyes first, she wondered if she should when she felt the knot of the blindfold begin to loosen.

"Make sure your eyes are closed, or else…" the girl said in a warning tone. Sakura sighed and nodded, shutting her eyes tight as the blindfold was off. Afterwards, the ropes on her wrist were cut, and that same girl took her hands in hers and led her somewhere as she carefully walked in the black stiletto heels she was wearing. _"Funny, I didn't even realize they also changed my shoes…" _

After what seemed like hours, which were only minutes, she felt herself being pushed down on a chair. The girl whispered a 'have fun' before leaving. And just as she opened her eyes, the lights closed, and she nearly screamed when someone, again, placed a hand over her mouth. "Shh." She obeyed wordlessly and gave a nod, indicating that she got the message. The candle in front of her flickered from time to time, giving her no clue as to where she is. Her ears picked up instrumental sounds of what she guessed were the song of "you look wonderful tonight" and she had to sweat drop. _"What's going on here? I'm getting a little freaked out here." _

The lights opened, but only for her to see who were playing. She spotted S7, wearing formal attires, and she stood up. "What the-" she felt two arms wrap around her waist from behind, and she froze when she felt someone breathe on her ear. "Surprise, gaki." She turned her head slightly to see Sasuke smirking at her. "W-what-"

"Well, you were ranting how you wanted to be asked in a memorable way, so I planned this out in the last minute."

Sakura blushed slightly at the idea as she looked down, seeing that her dress was black, and smiled. _"That's pretty sweet of him…" _she thought, feeling his lips touch her cheek lightly. "Don't forget our roles." He whispered, gesturing his head towards his pals who were still playing. The rest of the lights soon opened, and she gaped at the whole place, awed by the beauty of it. She had never been to any fancy restaurants in her whole life, and it was a treat to see the sight. Not to mention, they were near the stage where S7 was playing, and they were the only customers, or occupants, of the whole place.

"Why is this place empty..?" she asked, blinking. Sasuke pulled out the chair for her as she sat down, waiting for his answer. He smiled slightly and sat across from her. "My dad owns this place." He said with a wink, causing her to look away and blush. "Exactly how many… things, does your dad own?"

Sasuke looked up for a while before shrugging. "One hotel, two restaurants, the one where we ate with my family and this, plus the ice skating rink we went to, and three more others that I don't know of." He counted. "My mom owns her own flower shop and the restaurant I took you on our last date." Jaw drop for her. Sasuke raised a brow. "Naruto and Neji's family has more." She felt her soul being drained from her. "Um… why are you..?" he trailed off as he eyed her before she shook her head to pull herself together. "Okay, enough of that…" she whispered. "Then, those guys who kidnapped me..?"

"My brother and his friends…"

"The girl..?"

"Shisui-niisan's girlfriend…"

"This dress..?"

"Yamanaka recommended it."

"…Why did you have to-"

"I wanted to do something that will keep you from suspecting what was up."

She didn't know whether to smack him behind his head or hug him and rant at how he was brilliant with the whole thing. "…damn." She eventually said as he smirked and leaned back. She eyed him a bit, only noticing now that he was wearing a black tux with a black tie, the overcoat unbuttoned. One word ran inside her head: _"Hot…"_

Not long after, a waiter came to take their orders after handing them a menu. She stared at the words, but nothing really registered in her head as she dazed off. Later, she blinked when Sasuke poked her forehead lightly. He was standing up, bent forward over the table to poke her and eyed her with a raised brow. "You're wandering…" he murmured, sitting back down and turning to the waiter. "She'll have the same." The waiter nodded and left them as Sakura stared at him, about to ask what he ordered when he stood up, glanced at his friends and approached her, offering his hand, the other behind his back as he bowed slightly with a gentle smile. "May I have this dance," he started and soon smirked, just when she was about to think that he was a gentleman, she stopped when he finished his question. "Gaki?"

"…you're such a jerk…" she muttered, placing her hand on his open palm none the less, as he helped her up and led her to the dance floor. He placed her right hand on his shoulder while his left wrapped around her waist, his right hand holding onto her left one as he locked his eyes on hers. S7 then changed the music to a slower and mellower one, letting the two feel like they were alone in another place, just the two of them, dancing to the melody.

"So," he began as she tilted her head slightly. "Will you be my date for the dance?" she giggled a bit. "After this whole thing, I would be an idiot to decline." He smirked. "As if you aren't one already." He teased as she playfully glared at him, knowing that he was just kidding. "You're so mean!"

"Hn, mean enough to surprise you."

"Yeah, very."

He just smirked and when the music changed, he pulled her left hand to wrap around his neck, joining her right hand. Next, his right pulled her closer to him as he leaned his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. _"I want to tell you now, but I'm afraid that you'll… pull away…" _she noted his sudden silence that she lowered her head a bit, their foreheads still touching. "Something's on your mind again." She whispered and he opened his eyes to look at her. Sakura pulled her head away slightly but leaned onto him, her eyelids dropping. "What's bothering you..?"

"_You are." _He thought, but said otherwise. "It's nothing."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because it's nothing you should concern yourself with." He pulled away slightly and smiled a bit at her. "You worry too much."

* * *

She sighed with a dreamy smile on her face as she closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it. The lights in the living room opened as she turned to see her mother giggling. "Had a fun night?" Sakura blinked before narrowing her eyes at Kasumi. "You purposely sent me out for that?!" Kasumi nodded giddily and rushed towards her, clasping her daughter's hands with hers. "You have got to tell me everything Sakura!" 

Sakura smiled slightly and looked down, suddenly remembering that she forgot to take the clothes she wore before with her. "Shit." She murmured, picking up the phone to call Sasuke, but stopped when she heard a phone ringing in his jacket's pocket. "A cell phone..?" she asked herself, opening the flap and answering the caller.

"Hey gaki, how do you like your gift?"

She looked at the phone and then placed it back against her ear. "This is mine?"

"Yeah, you lost the first one I gave you, so here's another new model."

"T-thanks…" she said. "But where are my clothes?"

"Ever heard of pheromones?" Sasuke asked, smirking at the shirt he held on his hand. "Yeah, why?" she asked, pulling the black jacket he lent her earlier since she was feeling cold. "Well," he began. "A group of researchers had this study about it. They say that people aren't attracted to the looks of their partners, but based on their scent." Sakura absent-mindedly took in the scent of his jacket. "Basically, I think I'll be keeping your shirt with me." He said, sitting on his bed as he eyed the white clothing in his hand, his tie undone but still hanging around the collar of his white long-sleeved polo. "Besides, you already have two of my jackets, right?"

She smiled a bit. "Mm." she answered. "Thanks for… everything."

"Sure, no problem." They soon bid goodbye and hung up as Sasuke lay down on his bed and held Sakura's shirt closer to his nose, taking a whiff of her scent as he smiled slightly and closed his eyes. _"Gaki…" _he thought, tightening his hold on the object he had on his other hand. He opened his eyes and glanced at the white rabbit she gave him when he was still in the hospital. With a small smile, he took it and played with its ears.

* * *

Kasumi heard the doorbell and told Sakura to finish up before rushing down the stairs to answer the door. She smiled upon seeing Sasuke standing there, hands in his dark blue jean's pockets as he bowed down a bit and greeted Kasumi a 'good evening'. She returned the gesture and welcomed him inside, further studying what he was wearing. Sasuke sported a black button-up shirt with the sleeves folded up to his elbow with a white shirt underneath the buttoned, except for the first two ones, top. His shoes were leather and black to complete the semi-formal get-up. "Have a seat for a while; Sakura will be ready in a few minutes." He gave a nod as Kasumi disappeared into the kitchen when he sat down on the couch, staring at the small object in his hand as he fingered it for a bit until he heard footsteps from the stairs. 

Turning his head around, he stood up when he saw Sakura come down, slightly in a fast pace but still managing to keep her grace as she climbed down the stairs in a red spaghetti-strapped dress that reached exactly below her knees, the clothing wrapped around her body in a fitted way until the waist before it was loose all the way down for easier movement. She had a pair of silver dangling earrings and she still wore the necklace he gave her. Her right wrist had a thin silver chain clasped around it as a bracelet, white her left one had a silver watch her father gave her on her last birthday. "Sorry to keep you waiting…" she said in a soft tone, head lowered and cheeks flushed.

Sasuke continued eyeing her, pushing the stray bangs away from her face that caused her to look up. Her hair was down but some parts of it were pulled back, like a half pony tail, into a bun held by a single black chopstick. He gave her a small smile to which she gazed upon. "You look beautiful." He whispered, pulling his hand back and offering it to her as she smiled brightly and took it. They turned to Kasumi when she squealed; in her hands was a camera. The two teens looked at each other and smiled nervously before posing for Kasumi since it was pretty obvious that she wanted a snapshot of them. "This brings back such wonderful memories…" she said with a sigh.

When Kasumi was satisfied with taking their photographs, they were finally out of her home and now standing near Sasuke's motorcycle. "My brother won't lend me his car…" he muttered, getting a flashback of how Itachi even tried to hug his car and say that Sasuke's driving was mad. Apparently, the older Uchiha couldn't forget the time where they came back from the farm and headed for the motocross track. He heard a giggled and he looked to his left to see Sakura trying to stifle her laughter. "It's fine, I'm actually fond of riding your motorcycle right now after you taught me." She grinned and turned to his black and blue bike, missing the blush on his cheeks.

"Come on." He muttered, getting on his bike after putting his helmet on. Sakura giggled and took the extra one he had before getting on the bike behind him. She placed the helmet over her head, closed the tinted flap and wrapped her arms around his waist. Afterwards, he started the engine and rode off towards the school's gymnasium.

* * *

The music boomed in their ears as they entered the dimly lit place. Sakura found some of the members of S7 on the stage, preparing their instruments while some were talking to their dates. She spotted Naruto and Hinata seated beside each other, faces red and eyes averted elsewhere. Sasuke took note of where she was looking and smiled slightly. He bent down to her ear and whispered in a hushed tone: "You mind helping me out with something?" she looked up, asking what it was. "Shikamaru suggested this." And he whispered the plan into her ear as she laughed and gave a nod. 

They went towards Naruto and Hinata as Sakura asked the blonde if she could talk to Hinata for a while. Naruto gave a nod, seeing as this was a good opportunity to seek his best friend's help. The two girls excused themselves as Sasuke sat down on where Hinata was seated earlier when Naruto gave him the "pleading" look. "I don't know what to do teme!" he nearly yelled. "I need help!"

"Well, it's pretty simple; all you have to do is be confident about what you do. Hinata's a pretty sweet and understanding girl, but she's shy, so you'll have to do the first move all the time." He placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder and stood up, pocketing his hands when Naruto looked up at him. "I'd help you out some more, but the next song is supposed to be by me, so just think of something in the meantime." He then left Naruto to sulk and try to come up with a good idea on how to tell Hinata.

Naruto suddenly jerked his head towards the stage when the intro of the music made him glare at his friends. They were definitely trying to hint something. Sasuke just smirked and glanced at Sakura who gave a "thumbs up" signal. He gave a slight nod and closed his eyes, his hands holding onto the mic stand as he leaned his lips closer to the microphone.

"There you see her…" he sang in a soft tone as the lights suddenly hit Hinata, causing her to turn red when everyone's eyes were fixed onto the dark-haired girl. "Sitting there across the lake..." Sasuke wondered why they didn't just change the lyrics to fit the setting better, but hey, his best friend was already staring at Hinata as if he was hypnotized. "She don't got a lot to say but there's something about her." He opened his eyes, smirking and raising his brows at Naruto as a gesture to make a move. "And you don't know why but you're dying to try, go on and kiss the girl." He held in his laughter when the blonde turned red.

"Yes you want her," Neji came in, singing beside Sasuke. "Looking her you know you do." This was his cousin, but heck, Hinata loves Naruto, so he may as well help out. "Possible she wants you too, there is one way…" Sasuke joined in. "To ask her." And they both sang. "It won't take a word, not a single word to try and kiss the girl."

As his two friends sang, Naruto stood up from his seat, making Sakura signal the light technician who then switched another light to hit Naruto.

"Sing with me now," Sasuke spoke, causing most of the students in the gym to join in as he and Neji sang. "Shalalalalala my oh my, looks like the boy's too shy, ain't gonna kiss the girl."

"Whoa, whoa!" Kiba and Lee sang.

"Shalalalalala ain't that sad ain't it a shame too bad you're gonna miss the girl." Neji stopped, leaving the rest to Sasuke. "Now you want her, looking her you know you do." When he noticed how his best friend wasn't making a move, he emphasized the next lyrics. "Boy you better _make a move_, no time would be better."

"Um… Hinata..?" she stared at Naruto as he shifted nervously. "You… wanna dance..?" he asked, eyes averted to the ground. Hinata blushed and gave a small smile, giving a nod as Naruto offered her his hand and she took it. The song was nearing its end and Naruto wasn't sure if he should really kiss her, but then, from the tone of Sasuke and Neji's voice, he was sure they were urging him to do it. "Kiss the girl," they continued as he neared his lips to Hinata who had her eyes slowly closing when she noticed his face going nearer. "Go on and kiss the girl…" Neji added as he and Sasuke sang the last line. "Kiss the girl."

Everyone clapped when Naruto finally touched Hinata's lips, not pulling away so soon, especially when she returned it.

* * *

"Wow, never knew that would work." Sakura said, eyeing Naruto and Hinata chatting animatedly in another corner. She smiled and clasped her hands together behind her, finding the two amusing to watch. She glanced at Sasuke when he didn't say anything or even talked for that matter. He just stood there, back against the wall, hands in his pockets and eyes glued to the floor. "Sasuke..?" he blinked and raised his head to look at her. "Is something wrong?" he smiled a bit and held her hand. "It's nothing," he replied. "Come on, we're next." He reminded, leading her towards the stage as Gai came up and called for them to sing. 

Sasuke waited for his cue and soon, he started to sing:

_When the visions around you  
Bring tears to your eyes  
And all that surrounds you  
Are secret and lies._

He turned to face Sakura, taking her hand in his and holding it close to his heart as he smiled.

_I'll be your strength,  
I'll give you hope,  
Keeping your faith when it's gone  
The one you should call,  
Was standing here all along..._

He let go of her hand and pulled her in for an embrace as he sang the chorus part.

_And I will take  
You in my arms  
And hold you right where you belong_  
'_Till the day my life is through  
This I promise you  
This I promise you_

Sakura then started to sing the next stanza, pulling away from him as she sang.

_I've loved you forever,  
In lifetimes before  
And I promise you never  
Will you hurt anymore…_

She faced him and raised her right hand as a pledge.

_I give you my word_

She pulled her hand towards her chest.

_I give you my heart _

Sasuke entered as a second voice. "Give you my heart…" and Sakura continued:

_This is a battle we've won  
And with this vow,  
Forever has now begun..._

Sasuke sang the chorus again.

_And I will take  
You in my arms  
And hold you right where you belong_  
'_Till the day my life is through  
This I promise you_

Sakura continued.

_This I promise you  
Over and over I fall _

Sasuke entered: "Over and over I fall…" and she sang once more.

_When I hear you call  
Without you in my life baby  
I just wouldn't be living at all..._

Sasuke took the lead again as Sakura made the second voicing.

_And I will take (I will take you in my arms)  
You in my arms  
And hold you right where you belong (right where you belong)  
Till the day my life is through  
This I promise you baby_

Sakura took the lead.

_Just close your eyes  
Each loving day (each loving day)  
I know this feeling won't go away (no...)  
Every word I say is true  
This I promise you_

Sasuke took over and leaned to Sakura.

_Every word I say is true  
This I promise you_

She smiled and ended the song:

_Ooh, I promise you…_

The crowd clapped for their performance and how they acted on stage. They bowed down a bit and then hopped down the stage as someone took over in the singing. A mellow song played next, and Sasuke asked her for a dance and she gave a nod as they went in place, swaying with the beat of the song. He closed his eyes when he let his forehead touch hers, and she opened her eyes to look at him. His brows were furrowed, and his hold on her was tight that she didn't understand what was wrong. "Sasuke..?" she whispered his name and he slowly opened his eyes, and without giving it much of a thought, he suddenly said those words.

"I love you…" and he didn't give her a chance to reply when he suddenly kissed her.

* * *

The door slammed open as he claimed her lips again, his hands were on her shoulders, keeping her still while her fingers gripped onto his shirt. 

Her breathing was fast, but she didn't seem to care. She just let him kiss her, and she would return it, as if that kiss told him that she loved him, so much, too much. _"I can't stop…" _she thought when he pushed their bodies on his bed, still not parting from their lip lock. _"I can't push him away…" _she didn't want to; she knew that, she just felt so right while they kissed and touched. She only encouraged him when she wrapped her arms around his neck when his lips touched her neck, nipping at it gently, not wanting to hurt her, because he was scared that she'd push him away, even if she didn't show any signs of rejection or hesitation. _"What am I doing?" _he thought, wanting to stop himself, but found that he couldn't. _"I can't do this to her, I just can't."_ he pulled away when she moaned, shock hitting him when he just realized that he had come back to his senses.

She panted softly and opened her eyes, noting how her vision was hazy as she stared at him. He wasn't directly looking at her, but from the way he stared at something, it looked as if he just woke up from a dream. "Hey, what's wrong…?" she managed to say. He got off of her and sat down at the edge of his bed, fixing the wrinkles of his shirt as he got up, his back facing her. "I… I should take you home." He said. "I'll be down stairs. Tell me when you're ready to go." He took a step forward but that was all he was able to do when her hand reached out to grab his wrist, keeping him in place.

They remained silent for a while before she stood up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Why'd… you stop?" she asked, eyes closed and head leaning onto his back. "Most guys in your state earlier would just continue but… you stopped." He felt her grip tighten. "Why?"

He closed his eyes and placed a hand on her arms that were around him. "I couldn't do that to you, I don't want to do that to you, not now, not yet." He opened his eyes and pulled away from her embrace. _"I still don't know how you feel, and if you do return the same feelings I have for you, I still can't do this to you, I respect you and I love you too much…" _

"What if I don't want to go home..?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper but it made him stop. "What if I want to stay here for the night?"

"Not right now Sakura," he answered. "I have to stop by my home later; my father wants to talk to me."

Sakura looked down sadly but followed him out of the door and onto his bike as he took her home. He walked her to the front door and gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight." He whispered before leaving her there. He waited for her to enter the house before he drove off to his dad's place, wondering why Fugaku would call him at this time of night. She watched his bike fade before she closed the window and sat on the couch in deep thinking. _"You said you love me but is it because you meant it or is it for the sake of keeping our roles as lovers safe..?"_

* * *

"Is it..?" 

Fugaku gave a nod to his son as he turned around to face him, the cup of tea in his hands still untouched. "That's why it'll depend whether you'll accept it or not. I just had it ready in case you do want to go." He paused, eyeing Sasuke's expression. The teen's head was lowered and his gaze on the floor would let anyone know that he was in deep thought. After a few seconds, Fugaku spoke again. "You did… tell them, or at least, Sakura, right?" Sasuke eyed his helmet that he held onto. "No." he answered. "I haven't. But Shino is aware of it."

The Uchiha patriarch sighed deeply at this. "Sasuke, you'll have to let all of them know, whatever your answer is… they still need to know."

"They wouldn't need to if I refuse, right?"

"Yes, but that's _if _you will say no."

Sasuke looked down again and raised his head to match the stare his father had on him. "Alright, I'll tell you my answer tomorrow."

Fugaku was shocked. "So soon..? Are you sure about this?"

"Dad," he gave a small smile. "You know me when it comes to making decisions." His father sighed again and gave a nod. "Alright, tomorrow then," he turned back to Sasuke. "But may I ask why?"

"Because…" he looked to the side, "I will get the answer tomorrow."

"If that's the case then, I'll just inform you that your mother and I will leave earlier to make the preparations." He stopped upon remembering something and Sasuke raised a brow at this. "Your mother said something about a Christmas party…" he trailed off and eyed his son who gave a sheepish grin. "I'm next in line for that," he scratched the back of his head. "And I already told the guys that mom said yes." Fugaku sighed again and shook his head. "Fine, fine." He looked up at the ceiling. "Just try to keep Naruto and Kiba from… breaking things and making such a mess. Aside from them, who else are you inviting?"

"Hinata's coming, and I assume that Sakura will too, and I guess Neji will take Ten-Ten, so I guess Yamanaka's coming too."

"Alright then, at least your mother will have female company on that day."

Sasuke laughed slightly. "Well, if that's all, I'll head back then."

"Sasuke," he turned back to his father. "Why don't you stay for the night?" he asked, looking out the large window. "It seems that the road will be slippery due to the rain." Sasuke looked outside and indeed, it has started pouring. With a shrug, Sasuke accepted the offer and bid his dad a goodnight before climbing up the stairs to his old room. He stopped midway, causing his father to raise an eyebrow beside him. "Ame," he said, turning to his dad. "I have to go get him." Fugaku took out something from his pocket and tossed it to Sasuke. "Don't drive your motorcycle out there in this weather." He said, as he continued making his way back up the stairs. Sasuke looked down at the object and his eyes widened upon seeing it.

"Thanks dad!" he yelled, missing the smile Fugaku sent him as he rushed out of the front door and went to the huge garage the mansion had. He looked for the car and found it. He knew his dad loved this car so much, and to let him drive it on his own was a big deal to him. "Ha, eat your heart out aniki!" he said as he hopped in and fastened his seatbelt before starting the engine and pulling out of its parking place, drove down the driveway of the manor and out on the road.

* * *

"I still don't get how you managed to get Hinata that fast." Kiba said, kicking the soccer ball towards Naruto who grinned. "Well, you have to admit, I am good looking!" the two turned around when they heard a snort, followed by a snicker. "You? Good looking? You've got to be kidding me!" Naruto twitched and was stopped by Kiba since he was about to punch the guy. "Damn it Kisame! At least I've got better looks than you!" 

Yep, the one who insulted Naruto was none other than the drama teacher himself, Hoshigake Kisame. "Why you little-"

"Hey, we're here to play soccer," Naruto and Kiba looked up to see Itachi there with a small smile, a hand placed on top of Kisame's shoulder to prevent the guy from murdering the kid. "And besides, out of school and not wearing uniforms will make the two of you look like friends instead of teacher and student." Kiba laughed slightly as Kisame and Naruto turned away from each other. "So, where are the others?" Kiba asked, looking around for the other members of Akatsuki. "They're coming. Deidara, Sasori and Tobi just needed to buy something from the store on the other side of the street." Itachi said, jerking a thumb towards the direction of where the mentioned three were coming from.

The park they were in was big and what made it the best place for playing soccer was the huge and tall fence that surrounded it, preventing the ball from coming out or hitting civilians outside the park. Plus, the grass was cut short daily, and there were goal posts on opposite sides.

"Oh, is Konan coming?" Kiba asked, his eyes gleaming since he's had a crush on the girl the moment Sasuke introduced them to Itachi and friends. "Yeah, she is since Pein will be coming too. Not to mention, Zetsu, Hidan and Kakuzu."

"So, where are they?" Naruto asked. "And I can't wait to see Pein!" he exclaimed, excited to meet Akatsuki's leader once more. Itachi laughed. "Relax Naruto, they'll be here." He looked around. "So, where're your friends?"

Kiba sighed. "Shino's gonna be late due to the bug exhibit his father told him about." He thought about the others. "Shikamaru said he still had one errand to run and then he'll come here. Lee is still not allowed to play, but he'll still come, along with Neji and Hinata I guess." He turned to Naruto when he mentioned the girl's name, and as he predicted, there were stars in the blonde's eyes. "Hinata-chan is coming! Dattebayo!" he cheered. Kiba continued. "I bet Neji's bringing Ten-Ten along as always, as for your brother…" he gave a shrug and grinned. "Probably with Sakura again, who knows if he's coming."

Itachi waved at Tobi and the two when he spotted them enter the vicinity. "Well, let's just play a three on three game for a while. I'll sit this one out first." The Uchiha said, just in time for the three to hear. "Sounds good to me, un." Deidara said, shrugging. "Oooh! I want to be on the same team as Dei-chan!" they laughed as Deidara scolded Tobi for calling him that. "I guess I'll team up with you two then." Kisame said, scratching the back of his head. "Especially since my best friend won't be playing yet."

* * *

"Really Shino, bugs..?" 

"Yeah, I like them, so what?" he replied, removing his helmet and placing it on top of his bike's seat. "It's the same with your love for tomatoes." He smirked at the look on Sasuke's face. "Don't even go there Shino." Sasuke muttered, making sure their bikes were chained down to prevent thieves from stealing their ride. Hell, they love motorcycles so much that they'd beat up anyone who would dare make a scratch on it. _"As if Kiba can't fix it..." _Sasuke thought, recalling how Neji freaked about a scratch on his bike made by some brat. Kiba sure did a great job on covering it up with some spray paints.

"Let's just go." Shino said, taking his backpack when Sasuke was done hooking the lock. "Hn." He answered, following Shino inside the park. "I still can't believe you had me wait for over an hour outside just for a bug exhibit."

"Just drop it Sasuke."

"Whatever." They looked up when they heard Naruto yelling. "Looks like we're late." Sasuke noted, glancing at Shino who sighed and adjusted his shades, shaking his head a bit. "We'd better hurry up then."

The two walked faster towards their friends and Akatsuki, stopping when Hinata mentioned their names. "What took you guys so long?!" Naruto asked, raising his hands up in the air exasperatedly. "Well, _someone _here made me wait long because of bugs." Sasuke answered, turning to Shino who narrowed his eyes and punched Sasuke on the arm lightly. "I told you to drop it man." The young Uchiha smirked in response and followed Shino to the benches. He stopped when he spotted Sakura looking at him that they quickly looked away when they realized that they've been staring too long at each other. "I didn't know she was coming." He whispered to Shino, turning back to eye Sakura who was now talking to Ino. "Who? Yamanaka?" Shino asked. Sasuke shook his head. "When Shikamaru said he had an "errand", I already knew it was about Yamanaka. I'm talking about Sakura."

"Well, why shouldn't she be here? She is your girlfriend."

"No she's not-" he shut his mouth when he realized that he just spilled their secret. "I mean, well- aw shit." Shino raised a brow and stood up straight. "I don't get it, does this mean that you two broke up or what?" Sasuke sighed and eyed the others before turning back to Shino. "It's kind of a long story, but…" he then started telling Shino about Kurumi's parents and Sarutobi's idea of them pretending to be a couple, up to the point wherein his parents started it all by mistaking them for one; at this, Shino ended up laughing, hard. "No kidding..?!"

"Damn it, keep your voice down!" Sasuke hissed, blushing in embarrassment when everyone turned to them with weird stares. "Sorry, sorry. But seriously..?" Sasuke sighed and gave a nod. "Oh man, I can't believe this!" Shino said, still laughing. "All this time, we thought you two were really-" he cut himself off and sat down, still laughing. "But don't worry about it. Your secret's safe with me." Sasuke sighed and sat down as well to tie his shoe. "Hn. Glad to know that…"

* * *

After playing soccer, some of them decided to go home while some stayed to talk and hang out. Sasuke, on the other hand, decided that it was time for him to talk to Sakura, so that he could finally give his father his answer. "Hey, Sakura," she looked up at him, blinking. "Can I… talk to you for a sec?" she gave a nod and stood up, following him as he led her away from the group. All the while, Shino watched, knowing what Sasuke was up to. _"Good luck, Sasuke."_

"What is it?" she asked when they stopped. She was leaning against a tree while he stood a few feet away from her, head lowered and eyes staring straight into her own. She looked away, feeling her face turn red from the intent gaze he had. "I meant what I said last night." He began, causing her to look back at him. "When I said that I love you, I really do, and don't dismiss it as a joke, because I'm not kidding this time."

She was shocked, her eyes were wide and she couldn't move. She just stared into his eyes, unsure whether she was relieved that he was dead serious, or scared that he wasn't joking this time. This wasn't an act, that, she was sure of. Why else would he pretend when no one was even there to hear him say it? And why else would he look at her this way, without shifting his eyes or moving his body? He stood perfectly still, and his eyes were still looking at her, giving her the proof that he was, indeed, telling the truth.

"You… what..?" she asked, her voice almost cracking as she tried to hold back her tears. She didn't know that she'd react this way, she wasn't aware that he would even confess. She always thought that he cared for her because she was his best friend. But last night, that kiss he gave her, it wasn't the same as the other kisses they've shared, it was like their first real kiss, it felt like that, wherein they had their first date. The way she felt back then, she felt it again last night, when he kissed her at the dance.

"I love you." He repeated. "And I'll say it again if I have to," he added. "I love you," he said. "I love you."

She started shaking, she wanted to say that she loved him too, but, she was still confused. _"What am I so confused about? Why can't I answer him? Why can't I say those words too? Why?!" _she lowered her head, her bangs hiding her eyes as she trembled. He still stood there, he wanted to pull her into a hug or say something to comfort her, but if he did, she'd think it was another joke, so he just stood there, waiting, waiting for her answer, preparing himself for the worst, or for the best.

"I…" she clenched her fist. _"…love you too, but…"_

She looked up at him with tears falling from her eyes, and when he saw her look at him like that, he already knew what her answer would be, and he now knew what answer he would give to his father. He closed his eyes and turned his head away. "Whatever you say, I'll accept it…" he said in a soft tone, so soft that she nearly didn't hear it, but she did, and it made her have a harder time to answer. "Sasuke…" she said and she clenched her fists. "I'm so sorry!" and she ran away from him, crying, not seeing how he opened his eyes that were stained with water.

"_I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry Sasuke!" _

Sakura ran pass the others, not stopping to bid them goodbye or say anything in return when Ino tried to call her. She just ran and ran, not looking back. She didn't want to see how Sasuke looked when she said those words, because she knew that it would hurt her a lot, but deep down, she was aware that she caused him more pain than he would ever give her. _"I don't deserve you Sasuke, I don't deserve you!"_

* * *

Shino stopped and eyed his friend who stood still, head lowered and eyes fixed on the object resting on the palm of his hand. "Whether she answered yes or no, you still would've left, right?" he watched as Sasuke closed his eyes and opened them again after a while. "Yeah, but things would've been different if she said yes, I would've stayed longer..." And he closed his fingers on the white gold ring that rested on his palm. "Were you that confident that she'd say yes?" Shino asked, getting a glimpse of the ring. "Not to mention, would she even accept being engaged to you after a confession?" 

"I know her Shino, and if she really did say yes, she'd definitely agree to this, maybe not too soon, but she'll definitely agree." He pocketed the ring and turned to Shino. "So, do me a favor," he earned a nod from Shino and he smiled slightly. "When the time comes, take care of her, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." He replied, looking up at the sky as he removed his shades. "But you have to look out for yourself when you reach the States." He looked at Sasuke who smiled slightly. "Got it Sasuke? We won't be there to back you up if something happens to you." The Uchiha teen gave a nod. "I will, don't worry."

"And good luck with your new team there."

"Aa."

* * *

Weeks passed by, and Zabuza has noticed the lack of effort Sasuke has been showing in their practice games. There were times wherein he'd see him staring at the basketball he carried, or times wherein he'd step out of the gym to get some fresh air and not come back for thirty minutes or more. Sometimes, he won't attend practices, and there were times, or so he heard from Shino, that Sasuke slept in class or did not pay attention to any of the lessons. Not to mention, he's been sent to the principal's office for more than ten times in the past few days. 

"Sasuke…"

He looked up, snapping from his train of thoughts when Zabuza called him. His coach would only call him by his first name if Zabuza wanted to talk to him about something serious. At this, he straightened up from his leaning position and faced his coach. "What's wrong?" Zabuza asked. The teenager just hung his head low, eyeing the orange ball on his hands. "Just… thinking…" he answered.

"About?"

"…About what would happen when I leave…"

The shocked look on Zabuza's face caused him to look up to face his coach, and when the man yelled a "what" to him, everyone had turned their attention to the two, wondering what caused such a fuss.

Shino, however, noted the look on Sasuke's face, so he shrugged it off, already knowing why. As for Sakura, her eyes bore that guilty look. She believes that she's the cause of why Sasuke's getting into so much trouble lately, and why he hasn't been focusing too much on the things he does, even in basketball. Ever since the sky started letting snow fall, ever since that day she rejected him, he hasn't been the same. The only words he ever told him after that day were "hi", "bye" or anything related to basketball since she was team manager. But that was about it. In fact, they looked like they were just strangers or acquaintances.

"What do you mean leave?! Are you out of your mind?!" Zabuza yelled. Sasuke didn't react too much, but he tried to answer his coach in ways that wouldn't be a dead give away to everyone that he was leaving. He still had something in mind before that fateful day arrives, so it's crucial that no one else but his family and Shino knows. "Coach, it's nothing serious." He said, forcing a smile. "It's just one of those times wherein you think about death…" he shrugged it off as if it didn't affect anyone, but Sakura sure took it the wrong way.

"You're committing suicide?!" she nearly yelled. Sasuke looked at her, blinking and wondering if she was on drugs because of her sudden outburst. "Err… no, why would I kill myself for something…" he trailed off, looking down upon recalling that day he confessed and was rejected. "…that's pretty stupid of me if I were to kill myself just because of something that's not even important." He said calmly as if it was no big deal but Sakura could tell that he was being cold; too cold for that matter. "Hn, anyway," he gave a shrug. "Sorry about that guys, just go back to practicing, I just want to be in my own thoughts right now." He went back to leaning on the wall and threw the ball in the air, caught it, and threw it again.

Zabuza sighed in relief. "Good grief Uchiha, don't scare me like that again!" he said, turning his back on the team captain. "But if ever the time comes," Sasuke spoke, causing Zabuza to stop. "You know why, I assume." Sasuke looked at Zabuza seriously. "I know that my father told you coach…"

"Yes, he did." He glanced at Sasuke. "Until then, you're still team captain."

"Hn."

Sakura was confused at this. What were they talking about? She wanted to find out; she wanted to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

"Sasuke." 

He stopped walking and turned his head to her with a raised brow. "What?" he asked. "What is it that you're not telling me?" she asked. Sasuke just stared at her before turning away from her. "Why do I need to tell you? It's not like you're my girlfriend." And he walked away. He stopped when she grabbed his wrist in a tight grip, her eyes narrowing at him as he did the same. "Are you trying to get back at me for not-"

"Will you just shut up about it?" he said coldly, causing her to be shocked at his tone. "I'm not getting back at you; I'm just telling the truth. Why should I tell you when you're not in any position to know? What good will it do if you find out? Shouldn't you know by now that I do things to prevent you from getting hurt? Shouldn't you be aware that what I do now is no longer your business unless it's related in any way to our team?" he turned his head away from her with a huff. "And besides, it's not like you can do anything about it now that my mind is made up." He pulled his hand away from her grip in a harsh manner and continued walking.

She lowered her head when she felt her eyes sting. "I rejected you because I didn't want to hurt you…" she said in a soft tone, causing him to stop. "I can't tell you how I feel because I still don't know if I-"

"Bullshit."

Sakura looked up almost instantly, the pain in her heart coming back. It hurt a lot, and she wasn't used to Sasuke being like this. It was a lot worse than Naruto's "cold" treatment to her back then. "Don't tell me that you fucking don't know how you feel when it was so obvious on the night of the dance." He turned to glare at her, but that wasn't what hurt her, but rather, when she saw the corner of his eyes spill tears. "Don't tell me you'll let anyone touch you like I did, or kiss you like I did. Don't tell me that you only let me do those things because you didn't want to hurt me, don't LIE to me." He suddenly sprinted, ignoring her calls, not minding her even if she was crying, or even when she fell to her knees and on the snow and cried. He didn't care anymore, or rather; he chose not to care anymore.

* * *

On the month of December… 

"Sakura, how are things holding up between you and Sasuke-niisan?"

She sighed and looked at Hinata as they sipped some coffee in Starbucks. "I don't know…" she answered. "He doesn't call me at home anymore, he doesn't contact me through emails or in chat, he basically stopped talking to me, unless necessary." She rested her head on the table and closed her eyes, refusing to cry again. "I don't know what happened Hinata, I just… don't know…" Hinata gave her a worried look. "Everyone in school has been talking about what caused the two of you to "cool off" like that; some even said that the two of you broke up already."

"Hinata, it's not that…" she raised her head and looked at Hinata. "Actually, we're not even in a relationship in the first place."

"What..? How is that..?"

"We just… pretended…" she lowered her gaze. "It was something Sarutobi-sensei came up with so that Nagasaki-san wouldn't bother Sasuke anymore. It was wrong to do that but… at that time… it felt like I was helping Sasuke out, so I agreed." Hinata listened intently, wanting to know the whole story. "But… just after the dance we had last month, Sasuke, he…" she placed a hand on her chest and shut her eyes tight. "He suddenly confessed to me, saying that he loves me, and that it wasn't a joke. He said that he…" she trailed off when she felt her eyes were beginning to water. "Hinata, I… I rejected him Hinata! I didn't return his feelings even though deep down I knew I felt the same way! I didn't know why but I just- I didn't want him to get hurt because I was scared!" she cried as Hinata pulled her in for an embrace. "Sakura-chan," her voice was soft and comforting as she patted the girl's back lightly. "Why did you reject him..?"

"I thought I only loved him because he was my friend, I thought that I just had my feelings mixed because we've been pretending for too long that I- I…"she gripped onto Hinata's sweater. "I'm such an idiot Hinata!"

"Sakura-chan…" Hinata looked down and continued comforting the girl, at the same time, tried to come up with something that could help both Sakura and Sasuke. Especially if what Neji told her last night was true. And from the looks of it, Sakura is still not aware of that.

* * *

The winter air was soothing, but even if it was, it still did not help the feeling he was having disappear. His eyes still bore that solemn look as he browsed through the pictures stored in his cell phone. He stopped on a certain picture of him and Sakura with Ame and Chastity. This was taken on Kasumi's birthday, and Sakura was so happy in the picture, and so was he. As he eyed her image, he couldn't help but let a small smile appear on his lips, he missed seeing her smile, he missed her company. In short, he missed her. 

"Gome, Sakura…" he whispered, closing the flap of his phone and pulling it to his lips, his eyes closed as he let the wind blow against his back on the balcony of the Uchiha manor. Ever since the day she rejected him, he moved back here, because he didn't want her to visit him when he was alone, or mainly because that place reminded him too much of their moments. Kasumi has been calling him through his cell phone, but he kept ignoring the calls, not wanting to talk to her or to Sakura. It's not like he was running away, but it was just that… he couldn't. Especially if he wanted the last thing he'll be doing to be perfect.

"Sasuke," he looked up and spotted his mom join him on the balcony. "Aren't you cold out here?" she asked, seeing as he only had a black sweater and a grey jacket on over dark blue jeans. "I'm fine." Mikoto smiled slightly and approached his son. "You're not even wearing gloves or a scarf. Are you really that much of an ice block as Itachi would call you?"

Sasuke gave a small smile at his mom's joke. "I think you know me better than aniki." Mikoto laughed and pulled her son to an embrace. Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned his head against his mother. "Ka-chan, I forgot how warm you are…" he murmured. When he was a child, he'd always run to his mother during winter, because he always liked her hugs, and always felt comfort in it, whether words were exchanged or not. "I haven't lost my touch, have I?" she teased. "Mm, you haven't." Sasuke answered, pulling away since he was feeling sleepy for staying too long. Mikoto ruffled his hair affectionately and lightly. "Someday, you will also share the same warmth to someone, be it your future wife or future kids." She poked her son's nose lightly. "Because I know you also have the same warmth I have."

"Hn, thanks mom." She smiled and gave him another hug before going back inside. "And Sasuke, I invited Sakura as well for tomorrow night, so please don't be… cold to her, okay? It's nearly Christmas after all."

"Aa."

* * *

"Mikoto-sama," she looked up from her cooking and saw their butler, Wei. "Yes?" Wei stepped aside and Mikoto saw Sakura standing there with a small smile and carrying four large paper bags that contained gift-wrapped parcels. "Sakura-chan! Long time no see!" Mikoto beamed, leaving her work in fixing the decorations for the cake she made and rushing over to Sakura to give her a hug. "It has been a while, Mikoto-san." She said, bowing slightly. "Ah, Sakura-chan, I don't like formalities," she said with a smile. "And besides, I treat you like a daughter now, so I don't mind you calling me 'ka-chan'." 

Sakura laughed nervously. _"This must be what Sasuke felt when mom said the same thing." _

"Wei, please take Sakura-chan's things and put it under the tree." Wei did as he was told as Mikoto pulled Sakura inside the kitchen. "I need your opinion on this since I don't want my husband, Itachi or Sasuke to get an early taste but, do you think this tastes okay?" she asked, letting Sakura taste the sauce of her spaghetti. "Hmm…" Sakura tried to figure out what else was needed. "Just a little more sugar I guess." Mikoto giggled. "That's what I thought too." And she added a teaspoon of sugar, and then began stirring it. Afterwards, they tasted it again and they thought it was just right. "Thanks for your help Sakura-chan, Sasu-chan is upstairs, why don't you go over to him while I finish up here? I don't want to spoil my surprise for all of you." She winked.

"Um… okay…" she forced a smile at Mikoto, but deep down, she wondered if she could even face Sasuke, or if he would even talk to her. "Go on Sakura-chan." Mikoto assured and she smiled and left the kitchen and climbed the stairs, asking Wei for the direction of Sasuke's room. "I will be happy to lead you to the young master's room." He offered. Sakura was about to agree when someone spoke from behind her. "That won't be necessary Wei, and I told you not to call me that."

Wei smiled. "I apologize for that Sasuke-sama."

"Just Sasuke." He corrected and looked at Sakura who had her back facing him. "I'll take it from here Wei, thanks."

Wei gave a nod and a slight bow before leaving the two teens. When Sasuke was sure that no one else was around to hear their conversation, he walked ahead of her. "Come on." He murmured, leading the way as she followed slowly, head hung low. The rest of the trip to his room was silent, and it was killing Sakura, especially since she wasn't used to Sasuke treating her this way. But still, she kept her mouth shut and stared at his back. She was tempted to run to him and hug him, but she didn't want to push her luck, and she didn't want him to snap at her.

He stopped in front of a door and she assumed that it was his room. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, standing aside to let her get a view of it. "Go on." He muttered as she hesitantly stepped in. He followed after and closed the door, afterwards, leaned against it as he looked down, not making a move or saying anything as she stood there a few feet away from him, also keeping still and silent. He raised his head when he felt her tension; it was easy for him to predict what she was feeling. To him, Sakura was like a book that he could read anytime and anywhere.

She nearly jumped when she felt his arms wrap around her from behind, pulling her towards his embrace as she slowly looked up at him to see his eyes shut tight and his breathing was even. Even if he didn't say anything, she knew what he meant with his actions. She looked down and placed a hand on his arms that were around her shoulders, tightening her grip on one arm he had and letting her tears fall. This simple action he did was just an indication of how sorry he was for treating her like this, and how he missed her.

To Sasuke, her tears were due to relief and to other emotions she's been holding for too long deep inside. No words were needed to be said, just the mere fact that she was in his arms, with him feeling her warmth and her presence, was enough comfort for the two of them.

* * *

"Enjoy the dinner!" Mikoto announced as everyone eyed the food served on the table. "So much food..!" Ten-Ten said, eyeing her favorite ones that were served as Neji had to pull her down to her seat since she kept standing up. "Ten, stop doing that." He whispered. Hinata giggled at them since she sat beside Neji, blushing when Naruto suddenly held up a spoonful of curry in front of her. "Say 'ah' Hinata-chan!" he said with a grin. The girl smiled and opened her mouth, letting Naruto spoon feed her as she would do the same for him. "Too much love, ick." Kisame muttered, since he was directly in front of the two. Itachi laughed. "Oh come on, you seem to love watching my little brother and Sakura practice the romance scenes in your play." 

Kisame suddenly turned starry-eyed. "But Itachi, your little brother is so cute like that! Not to mention, to be paired up with Sakura-chan! The two make such a good couple!" he nearly squealed. Itachi sighed and placed a hand on his head. "I often wonder how you became my best friend. And stop acting as if you have a crush on my ototo." Kisame nearly choked when Itachi said that while the rest of Akatsuki snickered. Even the usually impassive Pein and Konan smirked. "I do NOT have a crush on Sasu-chan!" he said. "I just find it cute that he goes out of character whenever he's in plays or with Sakura-chan!"

"Like how he is now?" Sasori asked with a small smile, looking at the direction of where Sasuke and Sakura were. The ones who heard him say that turned to the balcony where the two were currently in, probably talking or just enjoying each other's company silently. Who knows? They had their backs on them; they weren't exactly standing near each other. But from their postures or stances, since they were both bent forward with their arms folded on the banister, they were sure that they were content just being there.

"Aren't they going to join us for dinner?" Ino asked who stopped midway from spoon feeding Shikamaru. It's not that they were together, just the fact that Ino wanted to tease the boy since he was eyeing Naruto and Hinata as if looking jealous or just plain amused. "They're already having dinner." Mikoto said, smiling as the rest turned to her for an explanation. Even Fugaku had no clue about this, or Itachi. "They need to settle something alone, and since the banister there is wide enough for a plate to fit, I had Wei deliver their food there, just right now."

The gang turned back to the couple to see Sasuke take the tray from Wei and Sakura smiling her thanks to the butler who bowed down and left them. "I was talking to Sasuke earlier, and he asked if he could do this, so I let him after he explained everything." She sighed and had a small smile on her lips, which was a rare expression on Mikoto since she was always beaming with joy. "I'm sure all of you are already aware about it?" she asked, eyeing S7 and Akatsuki. The two groups nodded, and Hinata did as well. But Ten-Ten and Ino were both clueless. Fugaku remained quiet for a moment before speaking to the group. "If he's told you, then that means that he'll be telling Sakura..." Shino glanced at his friend then back at the Uchiha patriarch. "No, he won't."

Everyone who knew about it asked Shino why, and the teen turned back to Sasuke. "He doesn't want her to cry."

* * *

"Your mom sure is a great cook." She commented, placing the spoon down on her plate that rested on her lap. Sasuke smiled slightly, facing her. "Well, it's her passion. My mom loves to do a lot of things instead of just one thing." He set his plate aside since he was done and just let the cool winter breeze calm him. They were both seated on the banister, facing the interior of the manor with their backs shown to the outside world. Sakura set her plate down when she was done and embraced herself. The red sweater she wore didn't keep her warm that much, but it lessened the cold feeling. Her white scarf provided the much needed heat for her anyway. And her long white skirt with black boots kept her comfortable to last in this weather. "You wanna go for a walk?" he asked, looking up. She turned to him and gave a nod, following his lead as he went towards the door. 

The two didn't really notice how their friends and Sasuke's family were eyeing them. They acted as if they were alone and that no one was around. He helped her get into her black coat that reached below her knees and he opened the door for her. They both stepped out of the gates of his home after he wore a dark green coat, over his clothing earlier, that went a five inches below his knees to add warmth.

"What made you ask me for a walk?" she asked as they trudged down the snow-covered sidewalk, passing by a lot of people who were taking an evening stroll. The lights that were displayed everywhere gave life to the city, and it actually provided comfort to majority of the citizens. "Nothing, just thought that it might be nice…" he said, narrowing his eyes when a couple of guys from Sound high were walking towards them, laughing and looking drunk from their lazy way of walking.

Sakura looked up at him when she felt an arm wrap around her and pull her towards him. "Don't move." He whispered, keeping her secured until they were far away from the two men who were still laughing about. He sighed in relief since he wasn't in the mood for a fight. His grip around her loosened, but he didn't let go, and she felt her cheeks turning redder when she noticed that he still hadn't let go. "Um…" she didn't know what to say, but she looked up when he looked down at her, blinking, wondering why she was acting weird. "You're not going to let me go, are you?" she asked with a grin. Sasuke blushed and pulled his arm away, turning his head elsewhere as Sakura laughed at him. "Aww, you're so cute like that!" she said, giggling, not noting how he turned to stare at her, a small smile making its way to his lips when he, at last, heard her laugh once more, and to see her smile and be so happy like this, it made him content just being a friend to her.

She stopped when he placed a hand on top of her head. She blinked and had her eyes wide when he kissed her lightly on the forehead, letting his lips linger there for a moment before pulling away but bringing her into his arms, keeping her head onto his chest as he just hugged her there silently, not minding how clueless Sakura was, or how some people glanced at them. He just wanted to stay like this, even for just a minute. _"I'll miss having you in my arms…" _he thought, his brows furrowing as he tightened his hold on her. "Neko, are you okay?" she asked, sensing how he was feeling. "I missed that…" he whispered. "Sakura, last time…" he said. "I told you not to stay over on that night," she gave a nod. "Right now, I'm asking if you can stay over tonight…" he murmured against her hair. "Is it okay?"

There was something about the tone of his voice that she couldn't comprehend, but she knew that he was, in a way, requesting this, and somewhere in the pit of her stomach, there was something wrong with it. It was like she needed to grant this request he had, as if it'll be the last thing she can do for him, but she didn't want to think of those things, so she agreed.

That night, Mikoto, Fugaku or Itachi didn't stay up to wait for Sasuke, and Kasumi didn't need to wonder where her daughter was. Call it a gut feeling, but she knew she could trust Sasuke, especially after Sakura told her that he stopped himself from going too far on the night of the dance.

* * *

He stared at her, watching her sleep, smiling a bit at the peaceful look on her face. She held the blanket tightly around her, still feeling cold despite not removing her coat. He only had a few minutes left with her, he just needed to wait for his brother's call and he'll be gone, for how long, he's not sure. When his phone vibrated on top of the side table, he sighed and answered it. 

"Yeah, aniki..?"

"Everything's according to plan. You need anything else done before we depart?"

"No." he answered. "Thanks aniki, I'll be there in a few minutes." And he hung up. He eyed Sakura once more before leaning down to kiss her lightly on her forehead. "Take care of yourself, Sakura." He then left her with a note:

_Hey gaki, _

_Sorry I had to leave early. I would've stayed longer but, my brother's expecting me. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone okay?_

* * *

She yawned and opened the gym doors, greeting everyone a good morning. The team turned to her with forced smiles on their faces, greeting her back. Sakura looked around, blinking. "Where's Sasuke?" she asked, and everyone looked down and remained quiet. She tilted her head in confusion as Zabuza took a few steps forward. "Sakura, he… he left earlier today." She raised a brow at this. "Very funny guys, but seriously, this is an important game and Sasuke should be here by now." She said sternly. "Where the heck is he?" she asked, hands on her hips and looking around the gym. "His place isn't that far, and the snow isn't that deep so-" 

"Damn it Sakura, Sasuke is gone! He left for the States!" Naruto yelled.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

_Next on Ironies of Life: Chapter 14: I Love You_

"_The beach…" _she thought, looking up at the cloudy sky. It wasn't raining but the air was as cold as if there was a storm. _"Yeah, maybe… I'll go there…" _and she made her way down the street, heading towards the beach. She stopped for a while when a few cars passed by the street, and when it was safe, she crossed it and stopped upon reaching the stairway that led her to the sand, and beyond that lay the ocean, the waves crashing and the salty scent of the water urging her to move on. A smile made its way to her lips as she placed her hands on her chest, her left ring finger adorning a ring. _"It's been seven years, Sasuke. When will I see you again?"_

* * *

_A/N: This story was supposed to last until chapter 15 or 16, but then, this chapter and the next would be too short, so I had to combine some of the chapters. Which means that the next chapter will be the last one okay? So, any conclusions my friends..? Have you figured out who the guy Sakura was with in the first chapter? Who ended up with who? What happened to Kurumi? Most importantly, will Sakura ever see Sasuke again? All questions will be answered on the next chapter! But just in case, tell me in your reviews on what else you want to find out. Oh yeah, so, who's the guy who's been giving Sakura the gifts? Could it be the same man she was with in the first chapter?_


	14. I Love You

_A/N: This chapter won't be as long as the past few ones. This is, after all, the last one, and if I made this longer, it wouldn't have a satisfying ending._

* * *

**Ironies of Life**

The team manager of the basketball team froze. Zabuza said it already earlier, but she didn't believe it, she wanted to convince herself that he wasn't gone, at least, not without saying goodbye. "How could that be? I was with him last night! He should have-" she turned to face them and they all had depressed looks on their faces. Without thinking, Sakura suddenly ran out of the court, rushing towards his father's place. _"Sasuke, don't do this to me!" _she shut her eyes as she ran. _"Don't leave me…"_

She reached the Uchiha mansion and stopped at the gates. "Uchiha Sasuke! Stop playing around and show yourself!"

The guards came to her, wondering what she was yelling about. "Um, miss, Sasuke-san left with his brother this morning, they went to the States."

Sakura eyed them in shock before dashing back to Sasuke's apartment, still not believing the news. When she got there, no one was home, not even Ame. Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees and cried, calling out his name over and over.

* * *

_**Chapter 14: I Love You**_

The front door opened and Kasumi was surprised to see her daughter enter, her eyes stained with tears and her expression of deep misery and sorrow. She wondered briefly what could have caused her daughter to be in this state, but she had a feeling that it had something to do with the person she met this morning. "Sakura, you-" her daughter just walked pass her and went to her room, opening the door, closing it and plopping down on her bed, ignoring how her cell phone vibrated with the lights blinking on and off. Someone was calling her, but she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, so she just let her mind drift, her eyes slowly closing before she fell in a deep slumber.

She didn't even hear the faint knocking of her mother on her room door, even when it opened and Kasumi entered, a sad look on her face upon seeing her daughter asleep on the bed with tears still spilling down her cheeks. She sighed and pulled the blankets over her before kissing the young girl on the cheek lightly. She glanced at the desk Sakura had in her room, smiling softly at the new object that was just placed there early in the morning.

"Mom…"

Kasumi blinked and looked at her daughter who slowly sat up and looked down.

"Yes dear?"

"…When I told you about… my answer to Sasuke even though I really do love him, was it a wrong decision..?"

The older woman eyed her for a moment before sitting down beside Sakura. "You know, there's really no right or wrong answer when you're in love, you just rely on what comes to you, answering without thinking. Because that's what you truly feel, and not what you think." She stood up, smiled one more time at Sakura before leaving the room.

Sakura thought about what her mom said, and she sighed and buried her face on the pillow, crying out in frustration. "How could I have been so stupid? I answered him with my thoughts and not with my heart! Not what I felt!" her grip on her pillow tightened. "Now he's gone, he didn't even bother to say goodbye! That baka!" she threw her pillow on the floor in anger and tried to calm down. She didn't know what to feel anymore.

Her ears picked up the sound of vibration, before it stopped. She quickly turned her head to her bedside's table, seeing her phone with three missed calls and one new message. She checked who the caller was, eyes widened upon seeing the name displayed. "Sasuke-kun…" she tried to call back, but only a recorded voice answered her, saying that the phone was out of coverage area. Devastated, she stared at Sasuke's name and picture for a while before reading the message, her eyes shedding a fresh batch of tears when she read it.

_I wish I didn't hope too much on what you said on the night you first slept over…_

She clutched her phone tightly, recalling how there was a blackout, and how she went down stairs because she couldn't sleep. She saw Sasuke on the couch in a deep slumber, and she was staring him for a while. She could remember how she smiled at his sleeping face, and how she uttered the words: "I think I'm beginning to fall for you Sasuke."

What she was not aware of though, was that he smiled when she left, and that he had heard it.

"Sasuke…" she looked up, startled at what was on top of her table. She rushed to it, eyeing the three roses on the vase: a blue one, a pink one, and a red one. A note was folded underneath the vase, and she took it, reading the contents.

"This will be my last and final sign to you. I hope you kept everything you got from me."

Her mind drifted back to the first gift she got from this person whom she thought was Sai. The bear was still on her bed, Ten-Ten ate the chocolates though, she kept the CD full of her favorite love songs and she chatted with this person online, yet she still had no idea who he was. He left clues, but it was hard to figure out who he was. Then, there was the ring, she kept it, but didn't wear it, she just had it displayed on her desk near the picture of her and Sasuke on the school festival. She continued reading the note.

"Blue represents mystery: Why this? Don't you think it's pretty mysterious on how I fell in love with you? It also means the impossible or unattainable, which is, in our case… But then, it means a lot of things you know, like how the lighter shade of it means the first flush of love, which I believe I felt when I got to know you. It also means caution or secrecy, like how our relationship moved from friendship to love, without anyone knowing that it was just something we pretended to be. And you know what else? It symbolizes the meaning of a new opportunity opening, and this is our chance. Deep pink: Thank you, for everything. Red..? I'm pretty sure you know what a single red rose means. You're my first love, my last, and will always be the only one."

She finished reading the note out loud, and as she read some more, she finally figured out who was responsible for sending these gifts or signs to her. "I can't believe you, Uchiha Sasuke…" she murmured, her eyes producing tears but a smile was on her lips as she held the note close to her chest.

* * *

"Sasuke,"

He looked up from the window he was staring at, seeing his brother take a seat next to him on their family's private plane.

"When you get there, you know that you have to forget about her and everyone else."

The teen was silent for a few moments, so Itachi spoke again. "You already know what Father said."

Itachi noted how his little brother's eyes closed, his head leaning back, brows furrowed. "I know it's hard, but you have to do this," he looked straight ahead as the plane finally took off. "It's the only way you can finish college there."

"Aa."

The older Uchiha looked surprised for a moment as he abruptly turned his head to Sasuke who now gazed back at the window.

"You're… serious..?"

"Aniki, I made up my mind. You know how I am when it comes to making decisions."

"Yeah, you're stubborn."

"Hn, so are you…"

"No duh, we got it from our parents, ototo."

Silence followed after and Itachi decided to take a nap and leave his brother to his own thoughts. Once the plane lands on the States, he'll have no choice but to keep moving forward without taking a look back at the past. Sasuke needs to focus on the present and future, for that, his past must be forgotten, his past should stay here inside the plane once he steps out. He needs to start a new life again.

"_I know the feeling ototo," _he glanced at Sasuke at the corner of his eyes. _"I just hope that Sakura wouldn't do the same thing my ex did when I got back. Seven years is pretty long, and so was ten years, when I was studying to become a doctor, and spent another year there, only to come back to Japan to realize that she had another…"_

* * *

(Back to Chapter 1's beginning)

She looked up when the announcer had spoke up. "He's here." She said to herself, ignoring the smile her companion had. "Come on then, let's greet him." He stood up, offering her a hand as she took it, following his lead when he made his way through the crowd.

Sakura didn't know for how long she was holding her breath when men dressed in formal suits with guns came rushing in, clearing the crowd. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she couldn't wait any longer to see him, to see how he turned out, to see if he moved on, to see if he found another girl.

"Man, that sleep on the plane was what I needed…"

"…Itachi-niisan!" she called out.

Itachi's ears twitched and he turned to the source of the voice, seeing Sakura waving enthusiastically at him. He smiled and walked over to her, followed by a couple of security agents. "Hey Sakura, long time no see!" he patted the girl's head. "You've grown taller, but you sure still look like a kid." He chuckled when she pouted. Itachi turned to the man beside her and gave him a curt nod and a smile as the man returned the gesture.

"Anou…"

The Uchiha turned back to Sakura who was looking pass him, eyes searching for his little brother.

"Uh… Sakura," she looked up at him. "Sasuke's flight was yesterday, he starts working today. I thought you knew that..?"

A man named Uzumaki Naruto had better get ready to meet Sakura's fist.

* * *

He smiled as the little girl giggled at what he just said. He stood up from his kneeling position and patted her on the head lightly. "Now that Sachi-chan is on his favorite place, you now no longer have to worry about his sadness."

"Thank you nii-san!" she said out loud. "Sachi-chan thanks you too! I can hear him yell it!"

"You're welcome." he looked up at the woman who approached them, giving a curt smile to her. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter Uchiha-san." She took the little girl in her arms as the child waved goodbye enthusiastically at him. He gave a smile at her, sighing when the door closed. He walked back to his chair and continued typing on his laptop.

"Rough day..?"

He sighed in relief. "Geez, I thought you were another patient."

The woman smiled and approached him, standing behind him as she pulled him back to rest on his chair, telling him to close his eyes as she massaged his head. "Sasu-chan, your father doesn't want you to stress yourself."

"I know that," he muttered, feeling sleepy at her touch. "Ka-chan, I don't want to fall asleep during work."

She giggled. "I have no idea why my two sons picked the medical department in college." She pulled the chair he sat on and made it face her as she smiled at Sasuke's bewildered face. "Take a break for now, it's only your first day, mister psychologist. Besides, you're the boss of your own job anyway!"

"But-"

"Unless you'd like to meet another child who has imaginary friend issues..?"

_That_got him to get up and step out of his office as his mother giggled and finished the report he was typing earlier. Mikoto always wondered why his youngest son can't be satisfied with doing just one job. _"Well, being a writer is kind of like a hobby for him…"_

The wind felt nice as it blew against his face.

"I sure missed this place…" he muttered under his breath, walking down the sidewalk that was next to a border where the sea was beyond it. He could remember when he chased Sakura down there after she kept yelling that he liked her, which was the truth. _"Hn, pretty nostalgic…" _he thought; a bitter smile on his lips as he reached the stairs that led to the sand that separated him from the water. _"I wonder how that gaki is doing?" _he thought to himself, not getting any news from Naruto and the rest when he asked about her.

He made his way towards the stairway, walking on the sandy beach and stopping a few feet away from where the waves crashed against the shore. He closed his eyes and inhaled the salty scent of the sea, opening his eyes to let the wind brush away his bangs as he stared at the about to set sun. _"It's been seven years, huh gaki?" _and he averted his gaze towards the ring on his finger, a rare look in his eyes as he closed them and thought about his decisions and actions during those seven years. _"Seven… the same number on my jersey, the same number of the members of Shinobi Seven, the same number of years I've been away, the same number of days I got to know her and fell for her…" _he smirked at the idea. _"Seven must be some kind of lucky number… or maybe, something that signifies a lot to me…" _

Sasuke opened his eyes and stared at the orange-red sky, deciding to take a seat on the sand, letting the breeze as his only company while he continued reliving the memories he spent here.

* * *

"_The beach…" _she thought, looking up at the cloudy sky. It wasn't raining but the air was as cold as if there was a storm. _"Yeah, maybe… I'll go there…" _and she made her way down the street, heading towards the beach. She stopped for a while when a few cars passed by the street, and when it was safe, she crossed it and stopped upon reaching the stairway that led her to the sand, and beyond that lay the ocean, the waves crashing and the salty scent of the water urging her to move on. A smile made its way to her lips as she placed her hands on her chest, her left ring finger adorning a ring. _"It's been seven years, Sasuke. When will I see you again?"_

She sighed and took a step forward; hesitating a bit until she finally proceeded in climbing down the stairs. Someone else went up, opposite to the direction she was going as they passed by each other. She stopped when she reached the sand, slowly turning her head behind her as the person who reached the top did the same. Their eyes locked onto each other, one widening while the other was startled for a moment before softening his gaze at her. "Hey Gaki." He greeted with a small smile.

"Neko..?"

A surprised look before he laughed lightly. "I can't believe you still call me that," he paused and grinned. "Blowfish..."

She ran up to him and tackled him to a hug, causing him to fall back on his rear as he grunted in pain.

"Ow, man, is it me or have you gone stronger..?" he looked down to see her crying onto him, her hands gripping onto his formal suit. "Baka! You've been gone for so long without even bothering to say goodbye or inform me of your departure! You're so stupid that I hate you!" she yelled. "I hate you so much and yet I missed you and I-" she got cut off when he kissed her lightly, pulling away. "You're so annoying." He glanced at her ring finger, smiling upon seeing the jewelry. "You're wearing it…"

She gave a nod. "Back then, I was so stupid to not tell you how I really felt, so when Shino gave me this and explained to me what it was for, I never took it off the moment I wore it, as a sign that I am already committed to someone." She raised her head to look at him, her eyes stained with tears. "Am I too late..?"

He smirked and shook his head, ruffling her hair. "Gaki, what made you think I moved on?" he showed her an identical ring that he was wearing, and she smiled brightly and crashed her lips onto him, earning a surprised look from Sasuke when she pulled away, startled at what she did. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I just… well, I…"

"Shut up." And he kissed her, waiting for her to return it as she tried to register what was happening, if this was real or another stupid dream. Yet when she felt his tongue lightly come out to lick her lower lip slowly, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to enter her cavern to meet her own anticipating one.

He pulled away and leaned his forehead on hers while she lowered her head a bit, still wondering if this was one of her imaginations.

"…You're really here…"

"Aa." He replied, smiling slightly as he kissed her again.

"This isn't a dream," she whispered, her lips connecting with his. "It's far from it." He answered, caressing her face with his left hand as she leaned onto the warmth of his palm, closing her eyes as she felt him. "Sasuke-kun…" she said, barely above a whisper as she placed a hand over his, keeping it on her face, not letting go. "I love you…" she said, loud enough for him to hear, soft enough to make it seem gentle. "I know," he answered, leaning his lips to hers. "And I still love you." And he closed the gap of their lips, glad that this finally happened.

When they parted for air, he pulled her into a hug, and she didn't mind sitting there, in his arms, out in the open.

* * *

She smiled as she watched him pass the ball to Naruto, running towards the side of their court before jumping in the air to dunk the ball his best friend shot. The acting referee blew onto his whistle and called it a day. Sakura giggled when Kiba and Naruto were at each other's throats once more, debating on who won or who lost.

"They haven't changed a bit…" she turned to her left to see Hinata smiling at the two boys. "Yeah, you got that right," Sakura said, glancing at the little boy on the female Hyuuga's lap who was cheering his dad on noisily. "I hope little Sei here doesn't act like Naruto and Kiba do."

Hinata laughed. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he won't." he glanced at Sakura's belly. "Why didn't you tell me you already have another child in your womb for a month?"

Sakura turned red and laughed nervously. "Sasuke-kun didn't want any of you, particularly Kiba and Naruto, to know since they'll start teasing him again on being _active_, if you know what I mean." Hinata just giggled. "So you're saying he's not?"

"To be honest," Sakura leaned closer to Hinata's ear. "I initiated our intercourse for this child."

And they both laughed.

"Ka-chan, what's intercourse..?"

Sakura and Hinata turned beet red as they looked up to see the four year old boy, who looked so much like his dad but had the same green eyes as his mother, stare at them with curiosity, head tilted - a habit gotten from his father – and blinking innocently on top of Sasuke's shoulders, who also had a light blush on his cheeks.

"Uh… Shoushi," Sasuke began, putting his son down and knelt before him to be in eye level. "Why don't you hold on to that question until you're thirteen at the least..?" the child smiled brightly and gave a nod. "Sasuke! He's still too young to know that when he turns 13!"

"Hey, my dad told me about _it_when I was nine."

"What?!"

He gave a nod, recalling how his mother scolded his father at that time, and how his brother had covered his ears from all the cursed words Mikoto mentioned. Still though, he turned out okay even after all that. He was, and still is, an Uchiha, after all.

"I hope you're not planning to do the same…" Sakura said in a low and dangerous tone.

"I won't, don't worry." He gave a reassuring wink at her before picking his son up again and taking his sports bag. "Come on, I still have work tomorrow and I need to get some rest." Shoushi pouted at this as they all bid their goodbyes to each other, Kiba taking his bike to go on a separate direction while Naruto, Hinata and Sei made their way across the street to dine in a restaurant nearby.

"Tou-chan, do you really have to go to work tomorrow..?"

"Yes Shoushi, I have an appointment with kids your age and up or even younger." He noted the frown on the boy's lips and he couldn't help but smile. His son was like him alright, easily gets jealous when someone he loves focuses their attention on someone else of the same age and/or gender. It was the same with how he gets irritated when Sakura talks to other guys he doesn't know, and not to mention, Sakura also ignored him for at least during the day whenever he'd talk and smile at some women – namely, his patients' mothers.

* * *

"So, exactly who do you have an appointment with tomorrow?" Sakura asked as she climbed onto bed after taking a shower. She looked at Sasuke who just came back from tucking their son in bed, giggling when he yawned and sat on their bed. "Sai and Kurumi's daughter." He stiffened when he felt the deadly aura emitting from his wife. "Sakura." He sighed, glancing at her, sweat dropping upon seeing how she gritted her teeth and clenched at her pillow.

He just shook his head and leaned to her, kissing her lightly on her forehead despite her frown. "Hey, gaki," she glared but he just smiled. "You don't have to be jealous about Kurumi or her daughter, Umi."

"That married woman is still after you." She hissed, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "And that Umi just likes hugging you! And she glares at me yet is so sweet to Shoushi!" Sasuke gently pulled the poor pillow from Sakura and set it aside, amused at how Sakura muttered under her breath. "And at the same time…" he spoke, leaning to her ear, tucking a stray strand of pink hair as he flicked her earlobe lightly with his tongue. "I glare at Kurumi when Umi glares at you, I like hugging you and Shoushi in front of them, I like kissing you senseless when I know the banshee is watching, and I like showing my affection as a dad to Shoushi with them staring at me." She blushed when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, her back hitting his chest as he leaned down to her neck from behind, kissing it lightly. "And I love you and Shoushi, not the banshee and banshee junior."

She smiled lightly and lifted an arm to pull his head a bit lower, her head turning to the side to give him more access as he continued to lick and kiss it, caressing her neck with his gentle kisses, making her giggle a bit since she was ticklish in that area. "Mou, you really have a knack for this psychology business." She pouted playfully and pulled away.

"Hey,"

Sakura laid down on the bed, her back to him as she muttered a good night and closed her eyes. She opened them again when he turned off the lights and hugged her, pulling her closer in his arms.

"Who said I was playing psychology?"

And again, another night of convincing the pink-haired woman that he loves her. But he doesn't need his proof, she already knows it. Shoushi is already a good enough evidence, what more now that she's carrying another Uchiha 'brat' in her womb?

"Geez, stop ignoring me gaki…"

"BAKA! Stop calling me that!"

_**The End.** _

* * *

_A/N: Yey! Now I can focus on Ai no Tsubasa and Biohazard – which hasn't been updated. Err… I'm sorry? Hehe. Hey! I've got a life too! Shoushi means midnight. Let's just say the boy was born at midnight. Sei is short for Seishin which means spirit.  
_


End file.
